Chicken Bastilla
·
Prep: 2 hrs 20 mins, cook time :40 minutes
By Christine Benlfaqueh
- For the Chicken:
-
- 1 whole, large
chicken, cut into pieces, skin and fat removed
-
- 2 very large
sweet white onions, chopped medium
-
- 1 tablespoon
ginger
-
- 2 teaspoons salt
-
- 1 1/2
teaspoons white
pepper
-
- 1 teaspoon black
pepper
-
- 1 teaspoon
turmeric (or 1/4 teaspoon Moroccan yellow colorant)
-
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
-
- 2 or 3 small
pieces (2- to 3-inch each) of cinnamon stick
-
- 1/4 cup butter
-
- 1/4 cup olive
oil
-
- For the Egg
Stuffing:
-
- 1/4 cup chopped
fresh cilantro
-
- 8 eggs, beaten
-
- For the Almond
Topping:
-
- Vegetable oil,
for frying the almonds
-
- 2 cups whole
blanched almonds
-
- 1/2 cup powdered
sugar
-
- 2 tablespoons
orange flower water
-
- 1 tablespoon
butter, softened
-
- For the Dough:
-
- Oil for pan
-
- 1/2 cup butter,
melted
-
- About 1 pound
(1/2 kilograms) warqa or phyllo dough
-
- 1 egg yolk,
beaten
-
- For the Garnish:
-
- 1/2 cup powdered
sugar
-
- 2 or 3
tablespoons cinnamon
Cook the Chicken
1.
Mix the chicken with onion,
spices, butter and oil in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven. 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.
1.
While the sauce is reducing
and the chicken is still warm, pick the meat off the bones, breaking it into
small 2-inch pieces. 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 1/2-inch of vegetable
oil in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the oil is
hot. 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
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 as you work since it dries out very quickly.
3.
Using your pan as a guide,
overlap three or four 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. 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.
Preheat an oven 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 into the oven directly from the
freezer will take up to 1 hour to bake.
Garnish and Serve
1.
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.
2.
Serve immediately.
https://www.thespruce.com/chicken-bastilla-recipe-2394641
