Moroccan Chicken Bastilla

Ingredients:

FOR THE CHICKEN :

• 1kg of chiken (tighs and breast)
• 2 tbsp of TAJINE spice blend
• 2 tbsp of salt( or less)
• 10 threads of Moroccan saffron (diluted in water prior to cooking) (optional)
• 8 onions finely chopped
• 1 bunch of minced parsley
• 1 tsp of rancid butter “Smen” (optional)
• 1 tsp of butter
• 3 tbsp of honey
• 6 eggs

FOR THE ALMONDS :

• 1cup of peeled fried or roasted almonds
• 3 tbsp of icing sugar
• 1 tbsp of cinnamon

FOR THE PASTRY FOLDING

• 16 Brick pastry sheets
• 4 tbsp of melted butter
• 1 jaune d'œuf

TO GARNISH :

• Icing sugar
• cinnamon
• Rest of crushed fried or roasted almonds

 Directions

1. In a cooking pot, place the chopped onion, chicken, TAJINE spice blend, rancid butter, oil and herbs.
2. Add the Safron diluted in water and Cover and cook over low heat. This will allow the onions to release all their juice. The chicken will then have better flavours. If you don’t have time cook over medium heat by making sure to stir so it does not burn.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the sauce, remove the bones and shred it into piece.
4. Add the honey to the onion sauce and let it cooked over low heat. All juice needs to evaporate.
5. When the onion begins to take a consistency of jam, remove 2 tbsp od onion confit and add it to the chicken to give it more flavour.
6. Add the eggs in the onion confit and stir in the eggs gently to incorporate.
7. Once cooked, remove from the heat and let the stuffing cool.
8. Chop or crush the almonds and mix them with the icing sugar and cinnamon.
9. Coat the pastilla pastry sheets with butter when folding.
10. Make a Pastilla by following the video steps on @tastymorocco Instagram.(Chicken stuffing first, then egg and onions confit, then almonds with icing sugar on top)
11. Brown the pastilla or mini-pastillas in an 350 F 0r 180 C preheated oven.
12. Serve the hot pastilla decorated with icing sugar and cinnamon and crushed almonds. ENJOY! It’s quite delicious!