Main
Chicken Pastilla (Morocco)
- Preparation time
- 1 h 20
- Servings
- serves 6
Ingredients
- Chicken — to buy2 filets
- Onion — to buy1
- Cinnamon — to buy1 c. à c.
- Ginger — to buy1 piece
- Saffron — to buy1 pinch
- Almonds — to buy150g
- Sugar — to buy3 tbsp
- Phyllo dough — to buy300g
- Butter — to buy100g
- Garlic — to buy2 gousses
Preparation
Simmer the chicken for 30 minutes in a stock with the sliced onion, garlic, cinnamon, ginger and saffron, until it's very tender and falls apart easily with a fork.
Shred the chicken into small pieces, then reduce the remaining stock over high heat for 10-15 minutes until syrupy and full-flavoured. Mix this concentrated liquid with the shredded chicken.
Dry-toast the crushed almonds in a pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so they don't burn, then mix them with the sugar and a little cinnamon — this sweet-spiced layer is what gives pastilla its signature contrast.
Generously butter a dish and stack half the phyllo sheets one by one, brushing each layer with butter so they brown evenly and don't dry out.
Spread the shredded chicken over the pastry, then cover with the sweet almond layer, and finish with the remaining buttered phyllo sheets, folding the edges well underneath to seal everything.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 180°C until the top is nicely golden and crisp — watch the last 5 minutes closely, phyllo can brown fast.
Dust with icing sugar and draw a cross-hatch pattern with cinnamon before serving hot: this sweet-savoury contrast is this festive dish's signature.