Pastilla

Pastilla (Moroccan Chicken & Almond Pie)

A festive Moroccan showpiece that layers paper-thin warqa pastry around spiced, slow-cooked chicken and a sweet almond filling, finished with cinnamon and icing sugar. Traditionally made with pigeon; chicken is the standard home substitution.

Prep

45 min

Cook

75 min

Total

120 min

Serves

6

Difficulty

Hard

Recipe ingredients

• •1.2 kg (2½ lb) whole chicken, skin on, or pigeon if available
• •2 g (2 tsp) ground ginger
• •2 g (2 tsp) ground cinnamon, plus extra to finish
• •60 g (¼ cup) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing pastry
• •2 medium onions, finely chopped
• •3 cloves garlic, crushed
• •1 bunch fresh cilantro, stalks tied, leaves reserved
• •1 bunch fresh parsley, stalks tied, leaves reserved
• •1 litre (4 cups) water, for braising
• •3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• •300 g (10½ oz) blanched almonds, skinned
• •60 g (¼ cup) sugar, for almond filling
• •2 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, for almond filling
• •30 g (2 Tbsp) orange blossom water, optional but traditional
• •12 sheets warqa pastry, see note for substitutes
• •40 g (3 Tbsp) icing sugar, for dusting
• •1 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, for finishing
• •1 pinch salt
• •2 ml (½ tsp) saffron threads, optional, crumbled

Steps

1. 1 Pat the chicken dry. Rub with salt, half the ginger, and half the cinnamon. Place in a heavy pot with the chopped onions, garlic, cilantro and parsley stalks, and saffron if using. Pour over the water, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for 45–60 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and pulls easily from the bone; the breast must reach an internal temperature of 74°C (165°F). Reserve the broth. Lift out the chicken, let it cool slightly, then shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones.
2. 2 Strain the cooking broth and return it to the pot. Simmer uncovered to reduce to about 250 ml (1 cup) of concentrated stock. Whisk the beaten eggs into the hot (not boiling) stock in a thin stream, stirring constantly, and cook gently 3–5 minutes until you have a soft, curd-like consistency. Season with a pinch of salt and fold the egg mixture into the shredded chicken.
3. 3 For the almond filling: pulse the blanched almonds with the 60 g sugar and 2 g cinnamon until coarsely ground (do not make a paste). Toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant and lightly golden. Stir in the orange blossom water if using and set aside.
4. 4 Prepare the pan and pastry. A traditional pastilla uses a round ceramic or metal dish about 35 cm (14 in) across. Melt the butter. If using warka/filo, lay one sheet in the pan and brush lightly with butter; layer and brush a total of 6 sheets, letting edges drape over the rim of the dish. (Home-cook note: warqa is the authentic paper-thin pastry; store-bought warka or thin filo are acceptable substitutes - filo will give a more shatteringly crisp but slightly thicker result.)
5. 5 Spread the chicken and egg mixture evenly over the base layer of pastry.
6. 6 Top the chicken layer with the toasted almond mixture and spread level.
7. 7 Cover the filling with the remaining 6 sheets of pastry, brushing each with butter and tucking the edges down into the pan to seal. Brush the top generously with the remaining butter.
8. 8 Bake in a preheated 200°C (400°F) oven for 25–30 minutes until the top is deep golden brown and crisp. If the surface browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil.
9. 9 Let the pastilla rest 5–10 minutes before unmolding. Invert carefully onto a large round serving platter so the layered pastry side faces up. Just before serving, dust the surface in a decorative pattern with icing sugar and cinnamon.
10. 10 Serve warm or at room temperature as a starter or main course, traditionally preceded by a clear broth course.