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Pastilla from Morocco

Pastilla

Also known as Bastilla

📍 Fez ★ 4.4
Last updated Aug 13, 2026 · Reviewed by the WhatWhereVacay editorial team

Sweet-savoury pie of spiced poultry in crisp filo, dusted with sugar.

About Pastilla

Layers of paper-thin warqa pastry enclose spiced pigeon or chicken and almonds, baked crisp and finished with cinnamon and icing sugar. The sweet-savoury contrast makes it a festive showpiece.

🏛️ History & Culture

Pastilla, also spelled bastilla, is a celebrated Moroccan pie with roots in the country’s Andalusian culinary heritage, brought by Moorish refugees after the Reconquista. Its origins are debated, but it is widely associated with Fez, where it was refined as a festive dish for weddings and banquets. The traditional filling uses pigeon or squab, though chicken is now common, and the pastry is layered with a spiced almond mixture, then dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar—a hallmark of Moroccan sweet-savoury cooking.

Regional variations exist across Morocco and the wider Maghreb: seafood pastillas, using fish and vermicelli, are popular in coastal cities like Casablanca, while some versions swap the sugar for a more savoury profile. Culturally, pastilla is a symbol of hospitality and celebration, often served at large gatherings such as weddings and Eid feasts. Its complex preparation—making the paper-thin warqa dough and balancing spices like saffron, ginger, and cinnamon—marks it as a dish of skill and prestige, proudly presented as a centrepiece.

🍳 How to make Pastilla

AI-assisted, not kitchen-tested

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.
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Ingredients
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