Chicken Bastilla Pie is Morocco’s famous and delicious chicken pie. A flaky appetizing pie with a savory filling dusted with powdered sugar.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 50 – 60 mins
Ingredients:
- BELAZU extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
For the chicken layer
- 600g chicken thigh fillets, cut in half
- 1 jar BELAZU cumin and coriander paste
- 100g toasted flaked almonds
- 25g flatleaf parsley and/or coriander, roughly chopped
For the egg layer
- 4 large free range eggs
- 3 tbsp double cream or whole milk (optional)
- knob of butter (optional)
To assemble
- 75ml extra virgin olive oil (or 75g butter, melted)
- 5-6 sheets filo (270g pack)
- optional icing sugar, to serve
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 C. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over a medium high heat. Add the chicken and fry for 5 minutes on each side until browned on the outside. Stir in the jar of paste and fry 1-2 minutes then add 150ml cold water, stirring to lift off any bits stuck to bottom of pan.
- Cover and simmer over low-medium heat for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through, stirring once or twice and adding a splash of water if needed. When cooked the water should have mainly evaporated leaving a thick coating sauce (cook with the lid off for a minute or two if necessary). Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shred the chicken with two forks then stir in the almonds and herbs.
- Lightly beat the eggs with the cream or milk and some salt and black pepper. Heat a drizzle of olive oil or knob of butter in a frying pan over a low-medium heat, add the eggs and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring once or twice gently, until just set.
- To assemble, lightly grease a round 23cm springform or loose-bottomed cake tin with olive oil. Brush a sheet of filo generously with olive oil or melted butter and lay inside the tin, oiled side up, letting excess hang over the edges. Repeat with a further 4-5 sheets of filo, laying each one across the previous one at an angle so that the whole tin is lined (you can be quite rough).
- Spoon in half the chicken, top with the egg and the remaining chicken. Fold in the excess filo pastry to cover the pie. Brush the remaining sheet or two of pastry with oil or butter and scrunch up on top of the pie to completely cover. Brush with any remaining butter or oil.
- Place on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 30 minutes until crisp and golden-brown and piping hot. Remove from the tin. For an authentic finish, dust with icing sugar. Cut into wedges and serve.
Recipe by kind permission of Belazu