Vegan Arepa Recipe (Mexican Shredded Chicken Filling)

These little cornmeal arepa patties rocked our world. They’re a South American staple food, and there are two different, but equally popular arepa recipes: Colombian arepas and Venezuelan arepas. Both are made from corn flour dough and fried until golden brown. Colombian arepas are ‘arepas con queso’ as they are typically made with Mozzarella cheese. Our vegan arepa recipe is made the Venezuelan way.

We don’t think that there is such a thing as a perfect filling for arepas. There are loads of great choices. Black beans are a common filling and so’s a bean mix, both of which go great with a sprinkle of grated vegan cheese.

If you would like a healthier arepa filling option (staying away from any processed foods) how about some plantain and guac? Cook up some sweet plantain and fold it into your favourite guacamole blend.

We’re going to share a great filling with you in this recipe though, it’s a little spicy and a bit zesty. It’s a Mexican-style vegan shredded chicken. We recommend serving it with a refreshing mild green salsa and cojita-style dairy-free cheese.

So what ingredients do you need for our vegan arepas recipe? Focusing on the arepa dough, we’re avoiding exotic mail-order purchases (which we do normally manage) you should be able to get everything you need locally.

The main ingredient of arepa dough is pre-cooked cornmeal (or maize flour). We have used Harina PAN, a Venezuelan kitchen staple that we could not believe we could buy in our local Tesco store (similar to HEB or Meijer for all you state-side vegans). Other than that you only need a little salt, warm water, vegan butter, and bit of work to make your arepas.

If you’re looking for a great side to serve up with your vegan arepas, how about our plant based queso style dip and a fresh bowl of corn chips? If you’ve already tried our arepas, how about using our shredded Mexican-style plant chicken as an alternative filling in our vegan homemade chalupa recipe?

Vegan Arepa Ingredients

2 cups Harina P.A.N pre-cooked white maize meal

2 1/2 cups warm water

1 tsp salt (heaped)

1 Tbsp vegan butter

Vegan Mexican Style Shredded Chicken Ingredients

360g Plant Chicken Breast

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Vegan Arepa Toppings

Salsa verde

Vegan Mexican-style grated cheese

Lime wedges

Fresh coriander

How to Make Vegan Arepas

First we are going to make some salted water. Pour 2 1/2 cups of warm water into a large mixing bowl, then add the 1 heaped tsp of salt and stir until it dissolves.

Slowly add the arepa flour to the water, folding it over with a spatula at first and then once the dough starts to firm begin kneading it instead until it’s smooth and firm.

Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C Fan / 350°F / Gas Mark 4 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

If your dough is no longer sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl, or your fingers, and has a consistency similar to thick mashed potato then you do not need to add any extra cornmeal and you should place a towel, big enough to cover your large bowl, over the dough and let the dough rest for about five minutes at room temperature. Now is also a really good time to make up your vegan Mexican-style shredded chicken marinade if you’re making our favorite filling.

Now you are ready to make arepa dough balls by pulling the dough apart into 6 equal portions and then gently rolling each piece between the palms of your hands.

Once you have 6 equal dough balls you should press them down into 1/2-inch coins. This is easiest to do using the palm of your hand on a work surface, flipping the coin a couple of times, you can also gently use a rolling pin if you wish. If the edges of your coin crack (don’t worry ours did) then just get a small bowl of water, wet your finger, and smooth the cracks over.

In a large non-stick pan over a medium-high heat melt melt a tablespoon of vegan butter in the bottom of the pan and then place your uncooked arepas into the hot butter. Then fry them for 2-3 minutes per side until they are golden brown.

Once you have got that perfect golden brown finish on both sides of your arepas, lay them out on the baking sheet you prepared earlier and place them into the middle of your preheated oven for a cook time of around 15 minutes, they’ll bake through and get a little rise as well.

After the baking time is up, remove the arepas from the oven and transfer them to a cooking rack. Then when they’ve cooled off, slice them nearly all the way through the middle, leaving a little ‘hinge’ and then stuff with your favorite fillings.

How to Make Vegan Mexican-Style Shredded Chicken

In a small mixing bowl whisk a tablespoon of canola oil with all of the vegan Mexican-style shredded chicken seasonings, as well as a tablespoon of lime juice.

In a shallow bowl or tray lay out your plant chicken breasts and then pour over the marinade you just made. Cover the bowl with cling film, shrink-wrap or similar, and then place it in the fridge for 20 minutes. Which would now be the perfect time to go and make your arepas.

Once the 20-minute marinating time has passed remove the plant chicken breasts from the bowl and slice them into large strips, at least 1-inch wide. Place a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of canola oil.

Fry the chicken strips in the warm oil for about 8 minutes, turning them in the pan every couple of minutes so that each side can brown a little.

Finally, transfer the cooked vegan chicken strips to a large bowl and allow them to cool for a while so that they aren’t too hot to shred by hand.

Using a couple of forks pull each piece of chicken apart (this can take some effort depending on what brand of plant chicken breast you’ve purchased) until you have a bowl full of spicy marinated shredded vegan chicken to fill your fresh arepas.