Golden Arepas

My youngest dropped a jar of salsa on the kitchen floor right before dinner last night. I was standing there staring at the mess, realizing we were totally out of tortillas for our planned taco night anyway.

I pivoted to making arepas instead. These golden corn pockets are incredibly forgiving and only take a few pantry staples to throw together on a busy evening.

You mix up a quick dough and pan-fry them until the outside is incredibly crisp. My family loves them stuffed with shredded chicken and a quick mayonnaise dressing.

I still struggle to shape them into perfect circles, and I’m not going to stress over it. Uneven edges taste just as good when you load them up with a savory filling.

Prep: 10 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes · Total: about 35 minutes (with resting) · Serves: 4

How do you keep arepas from getting lumpy? The trick is dissolving your salt in the warm water first before adding the flour.

You’ve got to sprinkle the cornmeal into the liquid slowly while stirring constantly. Adding the water to the dry flour instead will leave you with dry pockets that ruin the dough.

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What You’ll Need

• 2 cups warm water
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups white Harina PAN (precooked cornmeal)
• 6 oz shredded chicken
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tbsp lime juice

Ingredient Notes

You have to use precooked cornmeal for this recipe. Regular raw cornmeal or masa harina will yield a completely different texture, and the dough will flatly refuse to hold together in the pan.

Harina PAN is the standard choice you will find in most grocery store baking aisles.

The water needs to be noticeably warm to the touch before you start mixing. Cold water takes much longer to hydrate the dried cornmeal, which slows down your prep time significantly and leaves the dough feeling unpleasantly gritty.

Warm water encourages the starches to soften quickly.

For the filling, Andy Cooks recommends mixing shredded chicken with mayonnaise and lime juice. I like to use a good quality full-fat mayonnaise here to bind the meat properly.

It adds a rich savory flavor that balances the sharp acidity of the fresh lime juice beautifully.

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Mix the liquids. Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl to start your base. Add the salt and the olive oil, stirring the liquid continuously until the salt is completely dissolved and the water looks clear again.
2. Incorporate the flour. Sprinkle the Harina PAN into the warm water slowly while stirring vigorously with your other hand. Keep mixing the batter until the dough pulls together into a cohesive mass and no dry powdery spots remain anywhere.
3. Let it rest. Leave the dough alone on the counter to fully hydrate. None of the recipes I worked from specify a time for this step, but resting it until the dough feels firm and pliable takes about ten minutes.
4. Shape the disks. Grab a small handful of the rested dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Flatten it gently between your palms until the disk is about a finger thick and feels entirely smooth around the outside edges.
5. Cook the outside. Heat a heavy skillet over the stove to brown the dough. The sources don’t give a heat level or a pan time, but I cook them on medium heat until the crust sets and turns a deep golden brown.
6. Finish the inside. The classic recipes don’t describe how to tell when the dense inside is thoroughly done. I bake mine in a medium oven until they sound slightly hollow when you tap firmly on the crisp outer crust.
7. Slice and fill. Cut the disks open horizontally with a sharp serrated knife while they are still hot from the oven. Stuff them generously with the prepared chicken mixture until the pockets look completely full and the filling reaches the edges.

Make-Ahead and Leftovers

You can store leftover unfilled arepas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. The cold temperature will make the cornmeal quite dense and hard, so you should never try to eat them straight from the refrigerator.

Reheating them properly brings back that wonderful crisp texture you worked hard to build. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes on each side until they warm all the way through to the center.

Don’t mix the chicken and mayonnaise filling too far in advance if you want the best texture. Keep the shredded chicken and the dressing in separate airtight containers.

Toss them together in a bowl right before you plan to stuff your dinner pockets.

If You Liked This One

• Beef Enchiladas with Chili Gravy
• Classic Baked Ziti
• Classic Beef Chili
• Classic Beef Stew
• Classic Cottage Pie
• Classic Ground Beef Tacos
• Classic Meatloaf with Brown Sugar Glaze
• Classic Pot Roast
• Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Classic Stuffed Peppers

Golden Arepas

Recipe by Daisy MerrittCourse: DinnerCuisine: American

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water

• 1/2 tbsp salt

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 2 cups white Harina PAN (precooked cornmeal)

• 6 oz shredded chicken

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise (about 1/4 cup)

• 1 tbsp lime juice

Directions

• Mix the liquids. Pour the warm water into a large mixing bowl to start your base. Add the salt and the olive oil, stirring the liquid continuously until the salt is completely dissolved and the water looks clear again.
• Incorporate the flour. Sprinkle the Harina PAN into the warm water slowly while stirring vigorously with your other hand. Keep mixing the batter until the dough pulls together into a cohesive mass and no dry powdery spots remain anywhere.
• Let it rest. Leave the dough alone on the counter to fully hydrate. None of the recipes I worked from specify a time for this step, but resting it until the dough feels firm and pliable takes about ten minutes.
• Shape the disks. Grab a small handful of the rested dough and roll it into a smooth ball. Flatten it gently between your palms until the disk is about a finger thick and feels entirely smooth around the outside edges.
• Cook the outside. Heat a heavy skillet over the stove to brown the dough. The sources don’t give a heat level or a pan time, but I cook them on medium heat until the crust sets and turns a deep golden brown.
• Finish the inside. The classic recipes don’t describe how to tell when the dense inside is thoroughly done. I bake mine in a medium oven until they sound slightly hollow when you tap firmly on the crisp outer crust.
• Slice and fill. Cut the disks open horizontally with a sharp serrated knife while they are still hot from the oven. Stuff them generously with the prepared chicken mixture until the pockets look completely full and the filling reaches the edges.