Moroccan Chicken Pie (B’stilla)

Diane Phillips

• Ready In: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 3  cups chicken broth
• 1⁄8 teaspoon saffron
• 2  garlic cloves, mashed
• 2  cinnamon sticks
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1⁄2 cup  finely chopped onion
• 1⁄2 cup  finely chopped carrot
• 1⁄2 cup  finely minced flat leaf parsley
• 8  eggs, lightly beaten
• 3  tablespoons butter
• 1 1⁄2 cups  blanched almonds
• 1⁄3 cup powdered sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
• 1  teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus additional for sprinkling
• 1  lb  frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 3⁄4 cup  melted butter
• 1⁄2 cup  dry breadcrumbs
• 4  cups  cooked chicken, diced into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. Heat chicken broth in a 4-quart saucepan; add in saffron, garlic, cinnamon sticks, coriander, turmeric, onion, and carrot.
2. Bring broth to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
3. Remove cinnamon sticks from broth, decrease heat to medium.
4. Stir in parsley and eggs, stirring eggs until they appear like scrambled eggs, but not dry.
5. Remove the eggs and vegetables with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander set over a bowl (refrigerate until ready to proceed).
6. In a heavy pan, melt the butter; add in the almonds and brown them in the butter, being careful not to burn them.
7. Remove from heat, and cool.
8. Place the almonds in a food processor fitted with a metal blade; add the 1/3 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; pulse on and off until the almonds are ground; set aside until ready to proceed.
9. Preheat oven to 400°.
10. Unwrap the phyllo dough and cover it with a clean kitchen towel.
11. Brush a 13 x 9 inch ovenproof baking dish with melted butter.
12. Brush a sheet of phyllo with melted butter, sprinkle it with some of the bread crumbs, and place it in the baking dish; repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo, brushing each one with butter and sprinkling it with crumbs (you will have 6 sheets total).
13. Spread half the egg and vegetable mixture over the phyllo, and sprinkle the filling with half of the ground almonds.
14. Cover with 2 more sheets of phyllo brushed with butter and sprinkled with bread crumbs.
15. Cover with all the chicken, then top with 2 more sheets of phllyo brushed with butter and sprinkled with bread crumbs.
16. Top with remaining egg/vegetable mixture and the remaining ground almonds.
17. Cover the pie with 4 more sheets of phyllo, each buttered and sprinkled with bread crumbs (at this point the pie may be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking).
18. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the phyllo is golden brown.
19. Remove the pie from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
20. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and ground cinnamon; serve.