Venezuelan Chicken Sandwiches in Toasted Cornmeal Patties
Arepas Con Pollo
Mechado
As taught by Monire
Child from Venezuela
Note: This is a perfect special lunch, brunch or dinner. If
you make the stewed chicken the day before (it tastes better that way anyway!),
that leaves only 15-20 minutes of active time making the arepas the day of the
meal, starting an hour and a half before you’d like to eat. They’d be great
served with any kind of green salad.
Makes 8-10 small sandwiches. Big eaters’ll have two.
4 lb whole chicken or 4-5 chicken breasts
2 tsp annatto seeds
1 Tbsp whole cumin seeds
2 yellow onions, sliced thinly
1 green pepper sliced
½ red pepper sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed with the bottom of a glass into
chunks, then minced
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin (to taste)
1 tsp salt (to taste)
4 roma tomatoes blended with 1 cup water
P.A.N. Pre-cooked cornmeal
1-2 cups shredded mozzerella
corn oil
Make the Chicken
Filling
(1.5-2 hrs)
Simmer chicken in salted water (about 2 tsp salt per gallon)
until chicken is opaque through and through, 45min-1 hr, skimming and
discarding foam and oil off the surface as it appears. Strain chicken, saving
the broth for making soup or rice later. (broth keeps in the fridge for weeks,
and freezes, too). Once chicken has cooled enough to touch, discard any skin
and peel strands of meat into bite sized pieces, discarding all bones, tendons
and cartelidge.
While chicken is simmering, prep all the veggies and gather
spices you’ll need next: slice yellow onions, green pepper, red pepper, smash
and chop garlic, blend tomatoes w/ water.
Heat an 8 qt pot on medium. Add just enough corn oil to
cover the bottom and annatto seeds. Once the oil has turned bright orange, and
before the seeds burn remove and discard with a slotted spoon. Add cumin seeds,
garlic and onions. When onions are soft, add peppers, 1 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp
oregano. Once peppers are soft, add pulled chicken and stir. Add blended tomato
water and stew for about 20 min., adding salt and cumin powder until it tastes
perfect to you. When chicken has soaked up most of liquid but is still juicy,
turn off heat. It’s ready to use now as filling, and is even better the next
day. Refrigerate or freeze.
Make arepas (total
1.5 hrs, active time 20 minutes)
2 ½ c. lukewarm water
2 cups P.A.N. Venezuelan cornmeal
1 tsp salt
corn oil
Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the water in a bowl, add salt,
slowly add the corn meal, and mix/squeeze with hands until it feels just a
little soggier than Playdough. Let set for a couple minutes. Put a saute pan or
griddle on medium-high. Make a round ball the size of a lime by rolling dough
between your palms with a circular motion.
Then pat back and forth between your hnands to make a ½-inch-thick
patty.
Put a little corn oil in a bowl. Use your fingers to oil
lightly both sides of patty, and place on pre-heated pan on medium. Leave for
about 10 minutes and flip. You want a slightly golden look on both sides.
Transfer each directly onto the oven rack to finish cooking, about 40 minutes.
Assemble Sandwiches
Slice hot arepas sideways with a small knife (a steak knife
works great) as if it is a thin version of an english muffin. Sandwich between
the two halves: hot cumin-stewed pulled chicken and grated mozerella.
