The easiest way to make Moroccan Chicken and Almonds Pie "Pastilla".
What is the Moroccan pastilla?
Pastilla, also known as Bastilla, is a recipe from Moroccan cuisine that is considered one of the most delicious and unique Moroccan dishes. It is a crunchy pie that combines sweet and savory flavors like various dishes in Moroccan recipes, such as the Moroccan dried prune meat dish. It is often served at weddings and celebrations but can be cooked for a special family meal.
Pastilla, however, is not only a name of a dish but is also a name for a very thin sheet of dough called "warqa of pastilla" in Morocco, and it is originally phyllo dough or goulash. These thin, crunchy sheets can be bought in supermarkets.
There are different forms of pastilla and traditions vary from region to region. In coastal regions, for example, pastilla is frequently made with seafood, but chicken is a common filling.
- Preparation time: about 1h 30 minutes
- Cooking time: 35-45 minutes
- Serving: 8 people
- Origin: Morocco
The Moroccan chicken pastilla recipe.
In this blog, we will provide you with the recipe which will show you an easy way to prepare this delicious dish, the Moroccan chicken pastilla, and you will be satisfied with the results when you finish your cooking.
What do we need to prepare the Moroccan Pastilla?
Here are the ingredients:
- 1.5 kg of chicken cut into small pieces
- 500 g of finely chopped onions
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley
- Half a tablespoon of chopped coriander
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon of ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Half a teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- A pinch of saffron
- 1 tablespoon of salted butter
- Half a cup of oil
- 500 g pastilla sheets (if you can't get these sheets, you can replace them with pastry phyllo).
- 500 g of peeled and fried almonds
- 6 beaten eggs
How to prepare the pastilla filling?
Follow these steps:
1- In a large saucepan, put oil add the chopped onion, the chicken, spices, and garlic, stir and cook for a few minutes.
2- Then add water until you cover the chicken, cover the pot and leave to cook. Reduce the heat to medium when the pan begins to boil.
3- keep stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon until the chicken pieces are cooked. When cooked, remove it to a plate.
4- Add the beaten eggs to the chicken sauce to thicken the mixture,
5- Then add the chicken meat, after you remove its bones, to the eggs sauce and mix all well.
6- In a bowl, mix the crushed almonds, cinnamon, and sugar.
How to fill our pastilla?
Here is the method:
. Grease a circular mold with butter.
. At the bottom of the dish, place 5 sheets of well-buttered warqa of pastilla, and phyllo dough, overlapping like flower petals, leaving excess on the outer edges of the dish (about half of the sheet inside flat, the other half outside)
. Unite the bottom of the pastel with one or two other phyllo doughs placed in the center of the mold.
. Apply a layer of the almond, sugar, and cinnamon mixture to the pastilla dough in the mold using the back of a spoon for perfect distribution.
. Add the chicken mixture over the entire surface of the almonds to completely cover the mold and then add a layer of almonds mixture to the face.
. At last, add another sheet of pastry on top and fold pastilla layers over the filling, arrange another 3 new sheets on top, and overlap to seal the pastilla tightly.
. Once the pasta is closed, brush the surface with egg yolk and place the pastilla in a preheated oven for 35 - 45 minutes (more or less depending on the oven) or until it is golden brown and crunchy.
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. When the pastilla is baked, take it out from the oven, leave it to rest (about 5 minutes), and then sprinkled it with powdered sugar over the entire surface.
How to serve the chicken Pastilla?
. The pastilla can be served warm, or at room temperature as a main dish for lunch and dinner
. Before serving the pastilla, decorate with powdered sugar, cinnamon, and fried almonds. You can make decorations like triangles, squares, lines, or as you like.
Enjoy your chicken pastilla
Good Appetite!
😀
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