Fes-Style Chicken Pastilla

Ingredients

• •Chicken thighs
• •Warqa pastry
• •Almonds
• •Onion
• •Egg
• •Cinnamon
• •Saffron
• •Ginger
• •Butter
• •Powdered sugar
• •Fresh coriander

Steps

1. 1Simmer chicken thighs in a wide pot with chopped onion, saffron threads, ground ginger, and a stick of cinnamon, covering everything with water and cooking gently for about 40 minutes until the meat is very tender.
2. 2Lift the chicken out to cool, then shred it into small pieces with your fingers, discarding the skin and bones.
3. 3Boil the cooking liquid hard until it reduces to a thick, fragrant sauce, then whisk in beaten eggs a little at a time, stirring constantly until they scramble into soft curds within the sauce.
4. 4Toast whole almonds in a dry pan until golden, then crush them coarsely and mix with powdered sugar and a little ground cinnamon.
5. 5Brush a round baking pan with melted butter and layer sheets of warqa pastry across it, letting the edges drape over the sides.
6. 6Spread the shredded chicken and egg mixture over the pastry, then scatter the sweet almond mixture on top.
7. 7Fold the overhanging pastry edges back over the filling, brushing each layer with more melted butter, then add a final layer of pastry on top to seal everything in.
8. 8Bake in a hot oven for about 25 minutes, until the pastry turns deep golden and crisp.
9. 9Dust the finished pastilla generously with powdered sugar and a lattice of ground cinnamon before slicing it into wedges.