Chicken Pastilla
Crisp layers of warqa filled with spiced chicken, almonds and cinnamon sugar.
- 3 h
- Advanced
- 8 servings servings
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg chicken pieces
- 2 onions, grated
- 1 bunch parsley and coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- A pinch of saffron
- 100 g butter, plus extra for brushing
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 eggs, beaten
- 300 g blanched almonds
- 80 g icing sugar, plus extra to decorate
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to decorate
- 1 tbsp orange blossom water
- 12 sheets of warqa (or filo pastry)
- 1 egg yolk, to seal
- Salt
Preparation
Cook the chicken with the onions, herbs, spices, butter, oil and 250 ml water, covered, for about 1 hour until very tender.
Remove the chicken, shred the meat and discard the skin and bones. Reduce the sauce, then pour in the beaten eggs and stir over low heat until softly set. Drain off any excess liquid.
Fry or toast the almonds until golden, then grind them coarsely with the icing sugar, cinnamon and orange blossom water.
Butter a round baking dish and line it with overlapping warqa sheets, letting them hang over the edges. Spread the egg mixture, then the chicken, then the almond layer. Fold the sheets over, cover with more buttered sheets and seal with egg yolk.
Bake at 200 °C for 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp and golden. Dust with icing sugar and draw a lattice of cinnamon on top.
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