Inspired by my recent trip to Marrakech, I attempted to make pastilla poulet for the first time. It’s not a difficult dish to make, just time consuming. Let me show you how to make this delicious Moroccan specialty that’s a crossover between baklava and savory chicken. First, let’s gather the ingredients to make this chicken pie.

Ingredients for Chicken and Egg Filling:

• 2 medium-sized onions, diced
• 2 lbs bone in chicken leg and thigh, shredded
• ¾ cup parsley, finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons ginger, minced
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• Pinch saffron
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups water

Heat the oil in a stock pot at medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and saute for 10 minutes, or until the onions turn golden brown in color. Add the chopped parsley in the pot and stir for 1 minute.

Add your spices (ginger, cinnamon, saffron, salt and black pepper) and stir for 2 minutes to bring out flavor of the spices. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can use ground ginger instead.

Add the chicken to the pot and stir in the spiced onion mixture then cover the pot and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover after 10 minutes, add 2 cups of water to the pot and cover again and let the chicken cook for another 20 to 30 minutes. You can slightly increase the heat if desired so the water evaporates faster. After the chicken has finished cooking, remove the boned in chicken from the pot and set aside in a bowl to cool.

Crack the 6 eggs and stir them into the onion water mixture until they cook. Continue to stir every couple minutes until the water evaporates from the egg mixture.

Season the egg mixture with salt if needed and remove from the heat.

Once the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the bone and shred the chicken.

Next, let’s start working on the almond filling.

Ingredients for the Almond Filling:

• 10 oz blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Oil for frying

Heat oil in a frying pan and add the almonds to fry until golden brown in color. If you don’t have blanched almonds on hand, that’s okay. I substituted with silvered almonds instead.

Strain the oil from the almonds and reserve about 1 tablespoon of the oil for the chicken mixture.

Let the almonds cool and pat the excess oil with a paper towel. Once the almonds are cooled, add them to a food processor with the orange blossom water, powdered sugar, and cinnamon. Instead of orange blossom water, I substituted for rose water since I had that in my pantry.

Pulse the ingredients in the food processor until finely grounded. If you prefer the mixture to be more coarse, you can even pulse to that texture if desired.

Set aside about 2 tablespoons of the almond mixture to garnish the pastilla. Add the 1 tablespoon of reserved oil to chicken and stir. Add salt to taste to the chicken if needed.

Next step, let’s assemble the pastilla and bake it!

Ingredients to Assemble the Pastilla:

• 1 packet of phyllo dough
• ½ cup of butter, melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons honey (optional)

Heat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 12-inch round pie pan. Fold the phyllo dough sheets in half and add 4 of them to the bottom of the dish, buttering each sheet as you go along. Work fast with the phyllo dough since it dries out quickly. Take another 4 sheets and fold them in half. Place them around the pie dish sticking half way out of the pan.

Add the egg mixture to dish then add 1 sheet of phyllo dough to cover and butter it.

Add the chicken mixture to the dish and another sheet of phyllo dough to cover and butter it.

Add the almond filling to dish and place the phyllo dough sticking out half way into the center of the dish and butter them.

With the remaining phyllo dough sheets, add each of them to the top of the pie, tucking them into the sides of the circular dish while buttering each layer. Once all the phyllo dough sheets have been added, brush the pie with the egg yolk.

Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish the baked pastilla with powdered sugar, the reserved almond filling and honey if desired.

Bon Appétit! I hope that you enjoy this yummy Moroccan chicken pie.

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Pastilla Poulet - Moroccan Chicken Bastilla

Sweet and savory, this delicious Moroccan chicken pie makes a great dish to serve for special occasions. It’s time consuming to cook but worth the effort once you see the ‘melt in your mouth’ reaction from your family and friends taking their first bites of the saffron seasoned chicken, eggs, and almonds wrapped in crispy dough.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Moroccan

Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours

Ingredients

Chicken and Egg Filling

• 2 medium-sized onions diced
• 2 lbs bone in chicken leg and thigh shredded
• ¾ cup parsley finely chopped
• 1.5 teaspoons ginger minced
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• Pinch saffron
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups water

Almond Filling

• 10 oz blanched almonds
• 2 tablespoons orange blossom water
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Oil for frying

Dough and Garnish

• 1 packet of phyllo dough
• ½ cup of butter melted
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoons honey optional

Instructions

Chicken and Egg Filling

1. Heat the oil in a heavy duty stock pot at medium-high heat
2. Add the diced onions and saute for 10 minutes, or until the onions turn golden brown in color
3. Add the chopped parsley in the pot and stir for 1 minute
4. Add your spices (ginger, cinnamon, saffron, salt and black pepper) and stir for 2 minutes to bring out flavor of the spices
5. Add the chicken to the pot and stir in the spiced onion mixture then cover the pot and let the chicken cook for 10 minutes
6. Remove the cover after 10 minutes, add 2 cups of water to the pot and cover again and let the chicken cook for another 20 to 30 minutes
7. After the chicken has finished cooking, remove the boned in chicken from the pot and set aside in a bowl to cool
8. Crack the 6 eggs and stir them into the onion water mixture until they cook
9. Continue to stir every couple minutes until the water evaporates from the egg mixture
10. Season the egg mixture with salt if needed and remove from the heat
11. Once the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the bone and shred the chicken

Almond Filling

1. Heat oil in a frying pan and add the almonds to fry until golden brown in color
2. Strain the oil from the almonds and reserve about 1 tablespoon of the oil for the chicken mixture
3. Let the almonds cool and pat the excess oil with a paper towel
4. Once the almonds are cooled, add them to a food processor with the orange blossom water, powdered sugar, and cinnamon and pulse until finely grounded
5. Set aside about 2 tablespoons of the almond mixture to garnish the pastilla
6. Add the 1 tablespoon of reserved oil to chicken and stir. Add salt to taste to the chicken if needed.

Assemble the Pastilla

1. Heat the oven to 350° F
2. Butter a 12-inch round pie pan
3. Fold the phyllo dough sheets in half and add 4 of them to the bottom of the dish, buttering each sheet as you go along. Work fast with the phyllo dough since it dries out quickly.
4. Take another 4 sheets and fold them in half. Place them around the pie dish sticking half way out of the pan.
5. Add the egg mixture to dish then add 1 sheet of phyllo dough to cover and butter it
6. Add the chicken mixture to the dish and another sheet of phyllo dough to cover and butter it
7. Add the almond filling to dish and place the phyllo dough sticking out half way into the center of the dish and butter them
8. With the remaining phyllo dough sheets, add each of them to the top of the pie, tucking them into the sides of the circular dish while buttering each layer
9. Once all the phyllo dough sheets have been added, brush the pie with the egg yolk
10. Bake in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown
11. Garnish the baked pastilla with powdered sugar, the reserved almond filling and honey if desired