Pastilla (Moroccan Pigeon or Chicken Pie with Almonds)

About This Recipe

Pastilla (بسطيلة), also called b'stilla or bisteeya, is one of the great showpieces of Moroccan cuisine — a dish that embodies the Moorish culinary tradition of combining savory and sweet, rich and delicate, in a single extraordinary creation. Historically made with pigeon (squab), the more accessible modern version uses chicken: shredded slow-braised meat spiced with saffron, ginger, cinnamon, and fresh herbs, layered with scrambled eggs cooked in the braising juices, then encased in paper-thin warqa pastry (or phyllo as a substitute) and covered with a thick cloud of fried almond cream sweetened with sugar and cinnamon. The finished pie is baked until shatteringly crispy, then dusted with powdered sugar and crossed with lines of cinnamon. Cutting through the golden crust at the table — revealing steaming layers of fragrant chicken, silky egg, and crunchy almonds — is one of the great theatrical moments in world cuisine. It is served at Moroccan weddings and celebrations, a labor of love that signals the highest hospitality.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 wholechicken (about 1.5 kg), cut into pieces(or 900 g thighs)
• 2 largeonions, grated
• 4 tbspolive oil
• 1 pinchsaffron threads(bloomed in 4 tbsp warm water)
• 1 tspground ginger
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 0.5 tspground turmeric
• 1 tspfine salt
• 1 large bunchfresh coriander, finely chopped
• 1 large bunchfresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 6 largeeggs
• 250 gblanched almonds
• 80 gicing sugar(plus extra for dusting)
• 2 tspground cinnamon(for almonds and topping)
• 3 tbspneutral oil(for frying almonds)
• 12 sheetsphyllo (filo) pastry(or warqa, thawed)
• 120 gunsalted butter, melted(for brushing pastry)

Instructions

1. 1

   Braise the chicken

   In a wide pot, heat olive oil over medium. Add grated onions and cook until golden. Add chicken, saffron water, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, salt, and half the herbs. Add 200 ml water. Cover and braise 45 minutes until chicken is very tender.

   The braising liquid should be quite concentrated — if too much liquid remains, simmer uncovered to reduce.

2. 2

   Shred chicken and reduce

   Remove chicken and shred meat finely, discarding bones and skin. Return the braising juices to medium heat and reduce until syrupy — about 150 ml should remain.

3. 3

   Cook eggs

   Beat eggs and pour into the reduced braising liquid. Stir over low heat until curds form and the mixture is just set — not dry. Add remaining fresh herbs, stir, remove from heat.

4. 4

   Prepare almond layer

   Fry blanched almonds in oil until golden. Drain, cool, and grind coarsely with icing sugar and cinnamon in a food processor — pulse to a rough, crumbly mixture, not a paste.

5. 5

   Assemble the pie

   Butter a 28 cm round baking dish. Layer 6 phyllo sheets, each brushed with butter, overlapping and allowing edges to overhang. Spread shredded chicken evenly. Add egg layer. Spread almond mixture evenly on top.

   Work with phyllo quickly and keep unused sheets covered with a damp towel to prevent drying.

6. 6

   Wrap and top

   Fold the overhanging phyllo edges over the filling. Brush top remaining phyllo sheets with butter, crumple slightly, and arrange over the pie. Brush the entire top with butter.

7. 7

   Bake and finish

   Bake at 190°C for 30–35 minutes until deeply golden and crisp. Remove from oven. Dust generously with icing sugar and draw cinnamon lines over the top in a lattice or cross pattern. Serve hot.

Variations

• •

  Seafood pastilla: a popular Moroccan restaurant adaptation using shrimp, squid, and vermicelli noodles instead of chicken.

• •

  Pigeon pastilla: the original, more gamey and richer version using 3–4 squab pigeons.

• •

  Mini pastillas: individual one-portion triangular pastillas popular at modern Moroccan restaurants.

Storage

Pastilla is best eaten immediately from the oven. Leftovers can be refrigerated 2 days and reheated at 180°C for 10 minutes to restore some crispiness. Do not microwave — the pastry becomes leathery.

Frequently Asked Questions