Chicken Pastilla

Ingredients

What you’ll need

• Chicken filling
• 3 lb/1.35 kg bone-in chicken thighs and breasts
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• Pinch saffron
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley and cilantro
• 1 cup/240 ml water
• 6 eggs, beaten
• Almond layer
• 2 cups/280 g blanched almonds, fried or toasted
• 1/3 cup/65 g sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water
• Assembly
• 12-14 sheets warqa or thawed phyllo
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• Confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon, for garnish

Method

How it comes together

1. 1

   Braise chicken with butter, onions, spices, herbs, and water until tender and 165°F/74°C, about 45 minutes. Remove meat, discard bones and skin, and shred.

2. 2

   Reduce the onion liquid until thick. Slowly stir in beaten eggs over low heat until softly curdled and nearly dry. Cool separately from the chicken.

3. 3

   Pulse almonds with sugar, cinnamon, and orange blossom water to coarse crumbs.

4. 4

   Heat oven to 375°F/190°C. Butter a 10-inch pan. Overlap buttered pastry sheets so edges hang over. Layer chicken, egg-onion mixture, and almonds. Fold over pastry and cap with additional sheets.

5. 5

   Bake until crisp and deep gold, 35-45 minutes. Rest 10 minutes, invert if desired, and dust decoratively with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon.