Episode 8: Spiced Chicken in Arepas with Aji Verde Sauce

Spiced Chicken in Arepas with Aji Verde Sauce from My Kitchen Rules New Zealand

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

4x boneless chicken thighs 1 tablespoon Smoked paprika 1⁄2 tablespoon Paprika 1x tablespoon ground cumin 1⁄2 tablespoon cumin seeds 1⁄2 tablespoon fennel seeds 1⁄4 cup soy sauce 2 garlic cloves finely minced 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoon lime juice Salt & pepper to taste

Slaw

1 cup red cabbage shredded 1 cup coriander and parsley roughly chopped 1 tablespoon of Olive oil

Lemon juice and salt & pepper to dress

Pickled onions

1x red onion finely sliced 1 tablespoon caster sugar 1⁄4 cup red wine vinegar

Aji Verde sauce

1⁄4 cup sliced jalapenos 1 cup fresh coriander 1⁄2 cup fresh parsley 1 spring onion frond 2 garlic cloves 1⁄2 cup plain Greek yogurt 1⁄2 cup mayo Juice and rind of a lime Salt & pepper to season

Arepas

500 grams masarepa white corn flour 500ml water 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Method

Marinate the chicken thighs in a bowl with the marinade ingredients and place in the fridge.
Make the slaw with the cabbage, parsley and coriander and mix in the dressing. Set aside.
In another bowl, to make the pickled onions, place the sliced red onions, cover with red wine vinegar and sprinkle over the sugar. Set aside.
Mix all the ingredients for the Aji Verde sauce in a mini processor or stick blender. Set aside in a bowl in the fridge until later.
To make the arepas, put water and salt in a large bowl and add flour slowly with little stirring, set aside for 5 minutes or until flour has completely absorbed the water. Dough should be wet without being sticky.
Take chicken out of fridge and heat up the grill with a little olive oil. Cook the chicken while continuously basting with the marinade. Set aside to rest.
To cook the arepas, form dough into a golf ball size and gently flatten till approx. 1cm thick. Place in a heated pan with a little olive oil and cook until dark golden colour, turning only once.
To assemble, insert a blunt knife an make a small pocket inside the arepas. Butter the inside. Fill with some slaw, pickled onions, sliced chicken thigh and top with Aji Verde sauce.