Grill & BBQ
Sven's arepa-style street-food pita with chicken, corn and cheese sauce
AI-generated serving image
This image was created with the help of artificial intelligence and serves as visual inspiration or a serving suggestion. The actual result may vary depending on the ingredients, quantities and preparation used.
This street-food pita is inspired by generously filled Colombian arepas, but is deliberately made as a European version with pita bread instead of an arepa. Grilled chicken, sweet corn, crunchy coleslaw, fresh tomato-onion salsa, crispy potato sticks and warm cheese sauce turn it into a real street-food hit. The recipe is big, juicy and spicy – perfect for a grill evening, but just as easy to cook in the kitchen.
Timing
- Preparation: 35 minutes
- Grill and cooking time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 55 minutes
Estimated nutrition
per piece · Calculated for 4 pieces.
- Energy
- ≈ 1090 kcal
- Protein
- ≈ 60.6 g
- Carbohydrates
- ≈ 71.4 g
- Fat
- ≈ 59.8 g
Approximate values based on the listed ingredients. Brands, cheese, portion size and preparation can change the values.
Calculation basis
Item weights and household measures are estimated. Unless specified: milk with 1.5% fat, cream with 30% fat and Gouda cheese. Optional ingredients, small amounts of seasoning and separately listed side dishes are excluded. For imprecise entries, the amounts below and comparable reference products are assumed. For alternatives, the first listed ingredient is used. Cooking losses have not been measured.
Quantity assumptions and ingredient mapping
- a little oil for toasting · ≈ 10 g
- 1 tbsp olive oil · ≈ 13.65 g
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder · ≈ 1.5 g
- 1 small carrot · ≈ 80.0 g
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise · ≈ 27.3 g
- 1 tbsp plain yoghurt · ≈ 15.0 g
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice · ≈ 15.0 g
- 1 tsp sugar · ≈ 4.0 g
- 2 ripe tomatoes · ≈ 200.0 g
- 1 small red onion · ≈ 100.0 g
- 1 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice · ≈ 15.0 g
- 1 tsp mustard · ≈ 5.0 g
- 4 large pita breads · ≈ 400 g
- 120 g aioli or garlic mayo · ≈ 120 g · Assumed quantity / reference product
Unspecified frying oil: 10 g assumed per recipe.
Matvaretabellen: Mattilsynet · Santa Maria
Food data: Max Rubner-Institut, BLS 4.0 (2025), CC BY 4.0. Calculated and rounded for this recipe. BLS 4.0 · CC BY 4.0
Ingredients
- For the pitas:
- 4 large pita breads
- a little oil for toasting
- For the chicken:
- 600 g chicken breast or chicken tenderloin
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- salt
- black pepper
- optional a pinch of chilli flakes
- For the coleslaw:
- 250 g white cabbage
- 1 small carrot
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt
- pepper
- For the tomato-onion salsa:
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 1 small red onion
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley or coriander
- 1 tbsp lime juice or lemon juice
- salt
- pepper
- For the cheese sauce:
- 20 g butter
- 20 g flour
- 250 ml milk
- 150 g grated cheddar
- 30 g grated Gouda or mozzarella
- 1 tsp mustard
- salt
- pepper
- optional a pinch of smoked paprika
- Also:
- 150 g corn, drained
- 120 g crispy potato sticks
- 120 g aioli or garlic mayo
- optional pickled jalapeños
- optional a little BBQ sauce or ketchup
- optional fresh coriander or parsley to finish
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Cut the chicken into strips or bite-size pieces. Mix with olive oil, paprika, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper and optional chilli flakes. Rest for at least 15 minutes.
- Coleslaw: Shred the cabbage very finely. Coarsely grate the carrot. Whisk mayonnaise, yoghurt, vinegar or lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix with cabbage and carrot and leave briefly.
- Tomato-onion salsa: Deseed the tomatoes and dice them small. Finely dice the red onion. Mix with parsley or coriander, lime juice, salt and pepper. Chill until serving.
- Cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a small pan. Stir in the flour and cook briefly without browning. Gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Simmer briefly until lightly thickened. Stir in cheddar and Gouda or mozzarella. Season with mustard, salt, pepper and optional smoked paprika. Keep warm.
- Grill the chicken: Preheat the grill to medium-high. Grill the chicken pieces directly or in a grill pan until cooked through and lightly browned. Rest briefly.
- Toast the pitas: Brush or lightly spray with a little oil. Toast briefly on the grill or in a hot pan until warm and lightly browned. Do not dry them out. Then cut a generous pocket from the top or side.
- Fill the pita: First spread aioli or garlic mayo inside. Then layer a little coleslaw, grilled chicken, corn, tomato-onion salsa and crispy potato sticks. Finish with warm cheese sauce. Optionally add a few jalapeños, parsley or coriander and an extra dab of aioli.
- Serve: Serve the arepa-style pita immediately while the chicken and cheese sauce are still warm and the potato sticks are still crisp.
