Arepa reina pepiada

To make the dough, place the precooked corn flour in a bowl and mix with the salt. Form a hole and pour the water, mixing little by little. (You could also pour the water and then little by little the flour). Work the dough with your hands until it is well hydrated and smooth and homogeneous. (It should be moist but not sticky. Correct flour or water if necessary.)Cover and let stand 10 minutes. (You can put a damp cloth on top)

Prepare a frying pan or griddle with a little oil. Divide the dough into 6-8 portions, depending on the desired size, making sure they are more or less equal.

Form uniform balls with your hands (you can grease them lightly with oil to make it easier) and flatten them gently. They should be like pancakes, about 1.5 cm thick. They do not have to be perfect either.

Heat the frying pan and cook the arepas for about 8-10 minutes over medium heat on each side, allowing them to brown well. (The only difficulty is that they are not raw inside; we can finish cooking them in the oven at 180ºC for about 10 minutes.)

Mix the mashed avocado flesh, the pressed garlic clove, the chopped onion and some chopped parsley or cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and season with lime or lemon juice. Add the fresh cheese beaten to the desired consistency. Combine the shredded chicken meat.

To serve, open each arepa in half -without separating the two halves- using a good serrated knife. Fill with the chicken salad mixture, taking care not to break them, and they are ready!