Chicken and almond pastilla
Today I’m taking you to Morocco to show you how to make a delicious chicken and almond pastilla. The pastilla also known bastilla or bestila (بسطيلة) in Moroccan Arabic is one of the most popular dishes in Morocco, as is roast chicken or lamb tagine with prunes. It is prepared for special occasions, weddings, baptisms, etc. Pastilla is also very appreciated during the month of Ramadan.
When hosting guests for Iftar (breaking of the fast) during Ramadan, it’s customary to prepare a beautiful Ramadan table with delicious dishes. Moroccan harira and Algerian chorba frik always take center stage on the Ramadan table as indispensable main dishes. The table should be adorned with various types of briks, both sweet and savory briouates, salads, fish, baghrir, msemen, and more. It depends on individual preferences.
This recipe is really delicious! It’s my favorite, even though the seafood pastilla also enjoys great success.
What’s a pastilla?
Table of Contents
| The pastilla is a pie in the form of a galette, made from several layers of stacked puff pastry sheets, giving it an extremely crispy and flaky texture. It can be filled with a variety of savoury or sweet fillings. The chicken and almond pastilla is the most well-known and appreciated. Its taste is unique ! It’s slightly sweet, crispy on the outside, with a filling subtly flavored with cinnamon, all complemented by the crunchiness of almonds. |
Traditional pastilla used to be made with pigeon instead of chicken, but nowadays it’s mainly made with chicken. Before serving, it is dusted with powdered sugar and garnished with cinnamon. Personally, I like to drizzle honey over the top and sprinkle with toasted slivered or crushed almonds.
Delicious Moroccan mini pastilla
During the month of Ramadan, I prepare a large quantity of mini pastillas, which I freeze raw or cooked. It’s very practical when you’re entertaining guests, as all you have to do is cook or reheat them.
This leaves more time to prepare other dishes and spend time with guests. It’s so convenient when you’re craving a pastilla, you can bake one or 2 and enjoy. This is not the case with a large pastilla that must be eaten entirely on the same day.
You can, of course, divide the recipe by 2, 3 or 4 for a small quantity or to prepare a large pastilla.
I recommend that you watch the video in addition to the written recipe if this is the first time you’ve made it, as it will surely help you.
You can see the recipe for homemade phyllo dough.
Homemade brick pastry sheets are much softer than store-bought ones, making them easier to work with.
The recipe on video
Preparation steps :
| NB: Find the quantity of ingredients in the recipe card at the end of the article, which you can print. Below are the instructions, also available with visual images. |
For one large Pastilla (35 / 40 cm depending on thickness) or 32 mini Pastillas (8 cm)
You can, of course, divide the quantities as you wish.
Preparing the almonds :
1. Immerse 300g ( 10,5 oz) of almonds in boiling water, and when the skin easily comes off, remove from heat.
2. Peel the almonds, rinse them, and let them drain. Allow them to dry before frying them in a hot oil bath over medium heat. You can also brown them in a preheated oven at 160°C ( 320°F) for about fifteen minutes.
3. Drain and let them cool.
4. Chop them finely, but not into powder. You should have a fine texture. We want some crunchiness in the pastilla. You can use a food processor with 123 functions.
5. Then add 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon. Stir to combine.
Cooking chicken :
1. In a large non-stick casserole dish, place the oil, the 2 skinless chickens cut into 4, the butter, all the spices and the parsley. Stir to impregnate the chicken with the spices.
2. Place over low heat, cover and stir occasionally (about 10 min). Turn the chicken pieces over to allow the spices to soak in.
The heat should be medium to low for slow cooking without sticking, and you won’t need to add water or very little.
3. Add the chopped onions, mix well, then cover and let it all cook (stirring occasionally). Add a little water if necessary, but onions normally release enough water.
4. Check the cooking after 45 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and place chicken pieces in a dish, draining well. You can place them in a colander. Let it cool.
6. Put the sauce left over from cooking the chicken on the stove to reduce (all the water should evaporate).
7. Then add 2 tablespoons of parsley, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
The sauce is well reduced when you see the fat, which means there’s no water left.
8. Beat 8 eggs with a fork and add to sauce, stirring constantly (consistency should be solid). If not, add two more beaten eggs. I put in a total of 10.
9. Finish by adding 2 tablespoons parsley (optional). The result should be a mixture with zero sauce.
10. De-bone chicken and cut into small pieces.
11. Once everything is cold, mix the 3 preparations successively in a large mixing bowl. Then mix everything together. The aim is to obtain a homogeneous mixture. I prefer this method to the old traditional version.
In traditional pastilla, the preparations are not mixed together. We make 3 distinct layers when we form the pastilla (one layer of chicken / one of onions and eggs / and almonds and cinnamon on top).
12. Taste and adjust sugar and cinnamon to taste.
Note: You can prepare the stuffing the day before and leave it in the fridge.
Finishing touch :
Shape the mini pastillas :
1. Clarify the butter and allow to cool.
Clarified butter is melted butter that is filtered through a sieve, pouring gently to leave the milk at the bottom of the saucepan.
- Always keep the pastry brick sheets well wrapped in cling film and under a towel to prevent them from drying out.
- I use 8 cm tart ring for shaping.
2. Coat sheets with melted butter as you go.
3. Place a sheet of brick pastry in the circle, overlapping it. The smooth, shiny side of the sheet should face downwards.
4. Fill to the brim with stuffing and fold over what overflows from the sheet. Glue with egg yolk.
Remove the excess leaf ; it shouldn’t make a packet, but just close the bastilla. Solidify the pastilla with a second sheet, shiny side down.
5. Remove the mini pastilla from the ring.
6. Place a second sheet of brick pastry coated with butter in the circle, then place the pastilla prepared above inside. Place the side of the pastilla with the folds facing downwards.
Close by folding over the edges of the brick pastry sheet. Glue with egg yolk. You’ll understand better by watching the video or image below.
How to prepare a pastilla
7. Place the assembled pastillas on a tray lined with plastic wrap for freezing before storing them in a container. You can also choose to bake them immediately.
Cooking pastillas :
Preheat oven to 240°C ( 464°F)
1. Place the pastillas on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 180°C (356°F) If frozen, place in the oven without thawing.
2. Cooking may take 30 min more or less. The pastilla should be golden brown and crisp. The top should feel hard to the touch.
3. Once cooked, place on a wire rack and brush the top with honey. Sprinkle with toasted almonds or crushed almonds, or before serving, dust with powdered sugar and a little cinnamon. You can sprinkle powdered sugar through a stencil to create a pretty decoration.
Easy and delicious Moroccan pastilla
Moroccan pastilla with chicken and almonds
Ingredients :
- For one large Pastilla (35 / 40 cm depending on thickness) or 32 mini Pastillas (8 cm)
- You can, of course, divide the quantities as you wish.
- 2 chickens weighing 1.5 kg each
- 1,5 kg onions
- 150 g of butter
- 50 ml sunflower oil
- 6 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1,5 teaspoon ginger
- Use the tip of a teaspoon of cinnamon with the chicken and 1 and half teaspoons with the almonds.
- 1,5 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon saffron food coloring
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 8 / 10 eggs. I put 8 at the beginning and I look at the consistency. In the end I used 10.
- 1 teaspoon saffron pistils
- 1,5 teaspoon turmeric
- 300 g almonds
- An oil bath for frying almonds
- 100 g powdered sugar to taste
- 200 g melted butter to coat the bricks
- Egg yolk to close pastillas
- 64 small-diameter sheets of bricks (about 1kg and a half or 12 to 15 large-format sheets for a large one.)
- Honey or powdered sugar for decoration.
- Slivered almonds for decoration
Instructions :
Preparing the almonds :
- Immerse 300g ( 10,5 oz) of almonds in boiling water, and when the skin easily comes off, remove from heat.
- Peel the almonds, rinse them, and let them drain. Allow them to dry before frying them in a hot oil bath over medium heat. You can also brown them in a preheated oven at 160°C ( 320°F) for about fifteen minutes.
- Drain and let them cool. Chop them finely, but not into powder.
- You should have a fine texture. We want some crunchiness in the pastilla. You can use a food processor with 123 functions.
- Then add 2 tablespoons of icing sugar and 1 and a half teaspoons of cinnamon. Stir to combine.
Cooking chicken :
- In a large non-stick casserole dish, place the oil, the 2 skinless chickens cut into 4, the butter, all the spices and the parsley. Stir to impregnate the chicken with the spices.
- Place over low heat, cover and stir occasionally (about 10 min). Turn the chicken pieces over to allow the spices to soak in.
- The heat should be medium to low for slow cooking without sticking, and you won't need to add water or very little.
- Add the chopped onions, mix well, then cover and let it all cook (stirring occasionally). Add a little water if necessary, but onions normally release enough water.
- Check the cooking after 45 minutes.
- Remove from heat and place chicken pieces in a dish, draining well. You can place them in a colander. Let it cool.
- Put the sauce left over from cooking the chicken on the stove to reduce (all the water should evaporate).
- Then add 2 tablespoons of parsley, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- The sauce is well reduced when you see the fat, which means there's no water left.
- Beat 8 eggs with a fork and add to sauce, stirring constantly (consistency should be solid). If not, add two more beaten eggs. I put in a total of 10.
- Finish by adding 2 tablespoons parsley (optional). The result should be a mixture with zero sauce.
- De-bone chicken and cut into small pieces.
- Once everything is cold, mix the 3 preparations successively in a large mixing bowl. Then mix everything together. The aim is to obtain a homogeneous mixture. I prefer this method to the old traditional version.
- In traditional pastilla, the preparations are not mixed together. We make 3 distinct layers when we form the pastilla (one layer of chicken / one of onions and eggs / and almonds and cinnamon on top).
- Taste and adjust sugar and cinnamon to taste.
- Note: You can prepare the stuffing the day before and leave it in the fridge.
Finishing touch :
- Shape the mini pastillas :
- Clarify the butter and allow to cool.
- Clarified butter is melted butter that is filtered through a sieve, pouring gently to leave the milk at the bottom of the saucepan.
- Always keep the pastry brick sheets well wrapped in cling film and under a towel to prevent them from drying out.
- I use 8 cm tart ring for shaping.
- Coat sheets with melted butter as you go.
- Place a sheet of brick pastry in the circle, overlapping it. The smooth, shiny side of the sheet should face downwards.
- Fill to the brim with stuffing and fold over what overflows from the sheet. Glue with egg yolk.
- Remove the excess leaf ; it shouldn't make a packet, but just close the bastilla. Solidify the pastilla with a second sheet, shiny side down.
- Remove the mini pastilla from the ring.
- Place a second sheet of brick pastry coated with butter in the circle, then place the pastilla prepared above inside. Place the side of the pastilla with the folds facing downwards.
- Close by folding over the edges of the brick pastry sheet. Glue with egg yolk. You'll understand better by watching the video or image below.
- Place the assembled pastillas on a tray lined with plastic wrap for freezing before storing them in a container. You can also choose to bake them immediately.
Cooking pastillas :
- Preheat oven to 240°C ( 464°F)
- Place the pastillas on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake at 180°C (356°F) If frozen, place in the oven without thawing.
- Cooking may take 30 min more or less. The pastilla should be golden brown and crisp. The top should feel hard to the touch.
- Once cooked, place on a wire rack and brush the top with honey. Sprinkle with toasted almonds or crushed almonds, or before serving, dust with powdered sugar and a little cinnamon. You can sprinkle powdered sugar through a stencil to create a pretty decoration.
Thank you for your visit to my pastry blog gâteau et cuisine Rachida, and your comments.
You can also follow me on my youtube channel
Recipe written and created by Rachida