Arepas Reina Pepiada

About This Recipe

Arepas Reina Pepiada are Venezuela's most beloved stuffed arepa: a griddled corn-flour pocket split open and filled with a creamy mash of shredded chicken, ripe avocado, mayonnaise, lime, and cilantro. The arepa shell, made from precooked white corn flour (masarepa), is crisp on the outside and soft inside — a vehicle for the rich, cool, slightly tart filling. 'Reina Pepiada' translates roughly as 'curvaceous queen', a tribute to Susana Duijm, the Venezuelan winner of Miss World 1955, for whom the brothers Heriberto, Ángel, and Antonio Álvarez first created the dish at their arepera in Caracas. It remains the dish that Venezuelans abroad miss most painfully.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 300 gwhite precooked corn flour (P.A.N. or Goya masarepa)
• 1 tspsalt
• 400 mlwarm water
• 1 tbspneutral oil for griddling
• 400 gcooked chicken breast, shredded
• 2 largeripe Hass avocados
• 4 tbspgood mayonnaise
• 1lime, juiced
• 2 tbspfresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 smallwhite onion, finely diced
• 0.5 tspsalt for filling
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Make arepa dough

   Whisk masarepa and salt in a bowl. Pour in warm water and stir with your hand until you have a soft, smooth dough — like wet Play-Doh. Rest 5 minutes (the dough firms up).

   If it cracks when you pat it, add a tbsp of water; if it sticks to your hands, add a tbsp of masarepa.

2. 2

   Shape arepas

   Divide into 8 balls. Pat each into a disc 9 cm wide and 1.5 cm thick. Smooth edges with damp fingers.

3. 3

   Griddle

   Heat a dry or lightly oiled cast-iron pan over medium. Cook arepas 5 minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms and they sound hollow when tapped.

4. 4

   Finish in oven

   Transfer arepas to a 200°C oven for 8 minutes — this dries the interior and gives the signature crisp-shell, fluffy-inside texture.

5. 5

   Make filling

   Mash avocados with lime juice, mayo, salt, and pepper to a chunky-creamy texture. Fold in shredded chicken, onion, and cilantro. Taste; adjust.

6. 6

   Open arepas

   While still warm, slit each arepa horizontally three-quarters of the way through — keep one edge attached, like a pita pocket.

7. 7

   Stuff and serve

   Spoon filling generously into each arepa. Eat immediately while shell is crisp and filling is cool.

Variations

• •

  Pelúa: filled with shredded beef and yellow cheese instead of chicken.

• •

  Dominó: filled with black beans and white cheese.

• •

  Vegetarian Reina: replace chicken with mashed chickpeas; everything else the same.

Storage

Unfilled arepas keep 2 days refrigerated; revive in a 200°C oven for 6 minutes. Filling is best fresh; refrigerate up to 1 day with plastic wrap pressed onto surface.

Frequently Asked Questions