Moroccan Famous Chicken Bastilla

Chicken bastilla is Morocco's famous chicken pie. A light, crispy warqa pastry shell conceals savory saffron chicken, spicy omelet stuffing, and a crunchy topping of fried almonds sweetened with orange flower water. A garnish of powdered sugar and cinnamon adds to the unique blend of flavors.

This authentic recipe does take some time to prepare, but you'll find it well worth the effort. Take your time and follow the steps on how to assemble the bastilla and you should not find the recipe too challenging. In fact, you can make the bastilla a day or more in advance, and refrigerate or freeze until baking time. If you enjoy making this chicken version, you may want to give seafood bastilla a try.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 1 (5-pound) chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large sweet onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 2 to 3 sticks cinnamon
• For the Egg Stuffing:
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 8 large eggs, beaten

For the Almond Topping:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups whole blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange flower water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

For the Dough:

• Vegetable oil, as needed
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pound warqa, or phyllo dough
• 1 large egg yolk, beaten

For the Garnish:

• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Steps to Make It

Cook the Chicken

1. Cut the chicken into pieces, discarding the skin. Add the butter and oil to a large Dutch oven or other heavy duty pot and heat on medium until the butter melts. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover, and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender and falls off the bone. Do not add water, and be careful not to burn the chicken or the sauce as this will ruin the dish.
2. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, and reduce the sauce in the pot until most of the liquids have evaporated and the onions form a mass in the oil. Stir occasionally, and adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.
3. While the sauce is reducing and the chicken is still warm, pick the meat off the bones, breaking it into bite-size pieces. Place in a bowl and stir in several spoonfuls of the onion mixture; cover the meat and set aside.

Cook the Egg Stuffing

1. Transfer the remaining reduced onions and oil to a large non-stick skillet. Add the cilantro, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add the beaten eggs, and cook as you would an omelet or scrambled eggs. Be patient, as it will take up to 10 minutes for the eggs to set. Some oil separating from the eggs is okay. Set the egg stuffing aside.

Make the Almond Topping

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Test the oil by dropping in an almond. If tiny bubbles rapidly rise around the almond within a few seconds, the oil is ready. If the oil boils and splatters immediately, it's too hot.
2. Fry the almonds in batches, stirring constantly, until light golden brown. As soon as the almonds are richly colored, transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Fried almonds will continue to darken a bit after frying, so be careful not to burn them while they're in the oil.
3. When the almonds have cooled completely, pulse them in a food processor until finely ground. Put them in a mixing bowl, and with your hands work in the powdered sugar, orange flower water, and softened butter. Set aside.

Assemble the Bastilla

1. Generously oil a 14-inch or larger round pan. If you don't have a round pan, work on an oiled flat baking sheet or large plate, and shape a circular pie as best you can.
2. Brush melted butter on each sheet of warqa or phyllo dough as you work. If using phyllo, take care to keep it covered with plastic since it dries out very quickly.
3. Using your pan as a guide, overlap 3 or 4 single layers of warqa (shiny side down)—or double layers of phyllo dough—in a circular fashion, so that the inner halves of the pastry dough overlap in the center, and the excess dough drapes over the edges of the pan. Butter each layer of dough.
4. Place one buttered 12-inch circle of warqa, or two 12-inch buttered circles of phyllo, in the center of the pan. This forms the bottom of the pie.
5. Cover the 12-inch circle with the chicken filling, and distribute the egg stuffing over the chicken.
6. Top the egg stuffing with another buttered 12-inch circle of warqa (shiny side up), or two 12-inch buttered circles of phyllo. Spread the almond topping over this layer of dough.
7. Fold the excess dough up and over the almonds to enclose the pie. Flatten and smooth any bulky areas.
8. Brush butter on the folded edges of dough, and top with 3 more overlapping layers of warqa (shiny side up) or phyllo, brushing butter on each layer. Fold down the edges of dough and carefully tuck them underneath the pie, molding and shaping the bastilla as you go.
9. Use your hands to spread the egg yolk over the top and sides of the pie. Lightly oil the bastilla in the same manner.
10. The bastilla is now ready for baking, or it can be covered in plastic and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Bake the Bastilla

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 F (180 C). Oil a flat baking sheet.
2. Place the bastilla on oiled baking sheet in the middle of the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Note that a bastilla placed in the oven directly from the freezer will take up to 1 hour to bake.

Garnish and Serve

Generously coat the bastilla with sifted powdered sugar. Sift the cinnamon on top of the sugar, or use the cinnamon to decorate the top of the pie.

Serve immediately.