Chicken pastilla
Bastila — Fez's sweet-savoury chicken and almond pie dusted with cinnamon sugar
No Fassi wedding or engagement feast is complete without bastila, a showpiece pie brought out as the first course and broken open at the table. Under its crackling layers of buttered pastry sit three fillings: shredded chicken cooked with saffron, ginger and onion, soft lemony eggs set in the reduced cooking juices, and crunchy almonds ground with sugar and cinnamon. The top is dusted with icing sugar and a lattice of cinnamon, so every bite is sweet, savoury, crisp and tender at once. Serve it hot with nothing more than a green salad. Chef's tip: make the fillings a day ahead and chill them; cold fillings are easier to layer and keep the pastry crisp.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the chicken
For the egg layer
For the almond layer
To assemble
Method
0/14 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ⅝ lb chicken thighs, 3 onions, 2 cloves garlic, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger, 1 cinnamon stick, ½ tsp ground turmeric, 1 pinch saffron threads, 1 oz fresh coriander and parsley, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper and 3 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Stir over a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion softens.
5 minStep 2: Add the 1 ¾ cups water, cover and simmer over a medium-low heat for 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches 165°F (165 °F) in the thickest part and pulls easily from the bone.
45 minStep 3: Lift out the chicken and leave until cool enough to handle. Remove the bones and shred the meat into small pieces. Discard the cinnamon stick.
Step 4: Boil the sauce left in the pan over a high heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring, until reduced to about 250 ml of thick onion sauce. Don't skip this: a watery sauce makes wet eggs and a soggy pie.
12 minStep 5: Turn the heat to low and pour in the 6 eggs and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Stir slowly for 4–5 minutes until the eggs set into soft, dry curds with no liquid left. Spread on a plate to cool.
5 minStep 6: Heat the 3 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the 9 oz blanched almonds, stirring, for 5 minutes until golden. Drain and cool.
5 minStep 7: Pulse the cooled almonds with the 2 ⅛ oz icing sugar and 2 tsp ground cinnamon in a food processor to coarse crumbs; add the orange blossom water if using.
Step 8: Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan). Brush a 28 cm round baking tin or ovenproof frying pan with some of the 1 oz unsalted butter.
Step 9: Lay 6 6 sheets filo pastry or warqa sheets sheets in the tin, overlapping like petals so they hang over the edge, brushing each with butter. Put one more buttered sheet folded in the centre to strengthen the base.
Step 10: Scatter half the almond mixture over the base. Add the shredded chicken in an even layer, then the egg curds, then the rest of the almonds.
Step 11: Fold the overhanging pastry over the filling, brushing with 1 oz unsalted butter. Cover with the remaining 6 sheets filo pastry or warqa sheets sheets, each brushed with the rest of the 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter, and tuck the edges underneath like making a bed.
Step 12: Brush the top with the beaten 1 egg yolk to seal and glaze.
Step 13: Bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden and crisp all over. Turn out onto a tray halfway, if you like, so the underside browns too.
32 minStep 14: Leave to settle for 5 minutes. Dust the top with 2 tbsp icing sugar, then draw a criss-cross lattice of 1 tsp ground cinnamon with your fingers. Cut into wedges and serve hot.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 610 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 37 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chicken pastilla take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 105 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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