Chicken Bastilla

prep time:: 1 hr
total time:: 1 hr 30 min

Makes 1 pie

I DO love Moroccan food! Bastilla, a delicate and aromatic pie, is a true gift from the gods, the highlight of Moroccan cuisine. A specialty of Fez, bastilla is a special occasion dish, served during Ramadan and other festive times. It’s truly delicious and deceptively easy to prepare.

ingredients

For the chicken
3 lbs skinless chicken pieces
8 tbsp. butter, sliced
2 onions, grated
1 bunch (20 springs) Italian parsley, chopped
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tsp. black pepper
2 tsp. salt
1 cup water
2 tbsp. sugar
For the Almonds
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup almonds
4 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
For the Eggs
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup reserved chicken sauce
juice of 1 lemon
For the pie
1 package phillo dough
melted butter
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

directions

1
Prepare the chicken
2
Sautee the chicken on the butter. Add the onions, parsley, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon sticks, pepper and salt, mix well and sautee together for 15 minutes. Add the water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
3
Remove the chicken from the pot. Pull off and discard any skin and bones. Shread the chicken into 2" pieces. Add the sugar, mix and set aside.
4
Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks and any bones or chicken skin left on the chicken sauce (the simmering liquid). Leave 1/2 cup of chicken sauce in the pot (to mix with the eggs) and discard the rest.
5
Prepare the almonds
6
Blanch the onions and remove their skin. Heat the oil to low heat and brown the almonds until lightly browned, around 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove and drain on paper towels. Put the almonds, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor and grind.
7
Prepare the eggs
8
Warm the chicken sauce over low heat and add the lemon juice. Bring to a slow boil and slowly add the eggs, stirring constantly. Cook until they have a scrambled egg consistency. Drain any extra liquid and let cool.
9
Assemble the pie
10
Butter an 9“x13” oven-safe pan and place 4 or 5 phyllo sheets on it. Brush with melted butter, spread a thin layer of chicken and cover with 2 or 3 phyllo sheets. Brush phyllo sheets with butter, spread a thin layer of almonds, cover with another couple of sheets of phyllo, butter and spread a layer of eggs. Repeat with other layers of chicken/almonds/egg/ until all the fillings are used up. Cover with several sheets of phyllo dough and tug them into the bottom of the pie, encasing the whole thing. Brush with the beaten egg yolk.
11
Heat the oven to 425F and put the pie inside (you don’t need to preheat). Cook for about 15" or until golden. Remove the pie from the oven and turn into a serving plate. Brush with powdered sugar and cinnamon, making designs if you so chose to. Serve.

notes

Looks involved, but it is really easy to make, and it is fairly impressive when served. I place a paper doily on top before dusting with powdered sugar to get a nice design on top.

Source: Andrea "Andee" Wasson