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Chicken and Date Pastilla

[heart_this] · Dec 4, 2009 · 29 Comments

Chicken and Date Pastilla

I have been wanting to try making a pastilla for a while now and when I saw a recipe for a chicken and date pastilla in this months Food & Drink magazine it was like fate as I still had a bunch of fresh medjool dates! A pastilla (aka bastilla, bisteeya, b’steeya, bstilla and b’stilla) is a sweet and savoury Moroccan meat pie that is wrapped in light and flaky phyllo dough. The pastilla contains a lot of my favorite things from a good tagine including a really nice combination of Moroccan spices, tender meat, sweet dates and raisins, slivered almonds and fresh parsley and cilantro. After the pie is baked until the phyllo is nice and golden brown, light and flaky it is dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon adding another nice layer of sweet to weave into the already complex dish. This pie takes a bit of effort to make but it is well worth the trouble! The pastilla is a perfect combination of sweet and savoury and the flavours, textures and the spicy aroma will just make you swoon. I am certainly looking forward to enjoying the leftovers!

Chicken and Date Pastilla

Chicken and Date Pastilla

Chicken and Date Pastilla

Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes Servings: 6
ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds chicken breast (about 4 chicken breasts)
  • 2 onions (sliced)
  • 4 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon cumin (toasted and ground)
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup dates (pitted and chopped coarsely)
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 cup parsley
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds (toasted)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 sheets phyllo dough
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • icing sugar and cinnamon
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan.
  2. Add the chicken, skin down, brown and set aside.
  3. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 7-12 minutes.
  4. Add the garlic, cumin, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, chili flakes, turmeric and saffron and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
  5. Put the chicken back in the pan along with the stock, cover and simmer until the chicken is cooked, about 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the chicken, let it cool and shred it.
  7. Put the chicken back in the pan along with the eggs, dates, raisins, cilantro and almonds, mix and season with salt and pepper.
  8. Place a sheet of phyllo on your working surface and brush with the olive oil.
  9. Place a sheet of phyllo on top forming a plus sign and brush with olive oil and repeat until all sheets are done.
  10. Place the phyllo into a 9 inch spring form pan, fill with the chicken mixture and fold the overhanging phyllo over the top sealing the pie.
  11. Brush the top with olive oil.
  12. Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
  13. Let cool and dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.
Similar Recipes:
Pomegranate and Date Lamb Tagine
Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons
Chicken Pot Pie
Medjool Date Pecan Pie
Lamb Exohiko (Lamb Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)

Use leftover phyllo dough in:
Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)
Mushroom and Feta Phyllo Pie
Kolokithopita (Greek Zucchini Pie)
Agginaropita (Greek Artichoke Pie)
Mushroom and Goat Cheese Strudel with Balsamic Syrup
Tomato Tart
Baklava
Apple and Cheddar Quiche
Galaktoboureko (Greek Custard Pie)
Asparagus and Walnut Phyllo Pie (aka Asparagus Baklava) with Avgolemono Sauce
Roasted Pumpkin Quiche with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola and Sage
Strawberry Goat Cheese Banitsa
Lamb Exohiko (Lamb, Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Phyllo Parcels)
Fiddlehead and Gruyere Tart

Chicken, Food, Main Course, Moroccan, Pie, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. VeggieGirl says

    December 4, 2009 at 1:41 am

    Fate, indeed! Looks delicious.

    Reply
  2. Picky 1 says

    December 4, 2009 at 1:58 am

    That looks delicious. I love the sweet/savory combination, but with the dates AND sugar, it sounds like it could be quite sweet. Would you dust with sugar next time?

    Reply
  3. Rachael says

    December 4, 2009 at 2:10 am

    Oh my word this looks so tasty! I simply MUST make this as soon as possible! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Kaylie says

    December 4, 2009 at 4:08 am

    Looks absolutely wonderful. A question, is the saffron necessary? I know it's quite expensive and somewhat hard to come by.

    Reply
  5. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    December 4, 2009 at 4:31 am

    That is a gorgeous dish! Your pastilla looks really tasty!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  6. The Duo Dishes says

    December 4, 2009 at 5:54 am

    This is one of those perfect, perfect dishes because the flavors are complex! The sweet and savory combo is already delish, but once you combine the soft, warm inside with a crisp crust, it's maaaaaagic.

    Reply
  7. Jenn says

    December 4, 2009 at 6:13 am

    Fantastic. Look at those crispy layers of phyllo. Mmmmm…

    Reply
  8. screwdestiny says

    December 4, 2009 at 6:33 am

    How interesting. I'd never heard of this dish before but it certainly sounds and looks good.

    Reply
  9. toni says

    December 4, 2009 at 7:35 am

    Dang! Why did I cook my chicken before I looked at this recipe? I love, love love this recipe!

    Reply
  10. Sippity Sup says

    December 4, 2009 at 8:58 am

    It looks like you pulled this off beautifully. GREG

    Reply
  11. Joanne says

    December 4, 2009 at 11:16 am

    I love sweet and savory! I have to try this.

    Reply
  12. Ruth Daniels says

    December 4, 2009 at 12:18 pm

    Kevin…this is seriously over-the-top gorgeous! I've gained two dress sizes just reading it!

    Reply
  13. Theresa says

    December 4, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    How beautiful!!! Sounds and certainly looks good.

    Reply
  14. SpiceGirl says

    December 4, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    Amazing! Love the combination – can't even imagine how it will taste, but I have all the ingredients and I'll be making it this weekend! Love your recipes!

    Reply
  15. tracieMoo says

    December 4, 2009 at 2:14 pm

    Sounds really good to me!

    Reply
  16. Chocolate Shavings says

    December 4, 2009 at 2:18 pm

    Yum!

    Reply
  17. The Hot Plate says

    December 4, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    love your fearless approach to food of varying ethnicities. this is definitely a tricky dish to pull off and yours looks so tasty i could eat my screen! thanks for sharing! Amanda

    Reply
  18. Helene says

    December 4, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    Impressive Kevin. I've never had pastilla before. Looks yummy.

    Reply
  19. Kevin says

    December 4, 2009 at 11:22 pm

    Picky 1: I only used a light dusting of the powdered sugar on top and it did not really affect he overall sweetness of the pie.

    Kaylie: Yes, you can easily skip the saffron. This is a fairly complex dish flavour wise and you won't miss one the subtler notes too much.

    Reply
  20. libraloves says

    December 5, 2009 at 4:38 am

    Wow, this looks delicious! Definitely want to try this one out.

    Reply
  21. Jan says

    December 5, 2009 at 7:50 am

    Wow that looks delish!

    Reply
  22. Muneeba says

    December 5, 2009 at 8:21 pm

    I had tried bastilla once and liked it, but I think your version with the dates will turn out more moist. Nice going, Kevin!

    Reply
  23. starrrrrr says

    December 6, 2009 at 4:33 pm

    I'm salivating just thinking about this… but I can't make it today! Everybody around here will die if I make something like this again… I just made Moroccan chicken with figs, before that a beef/lentil/fig/turnip stew, and before that two chicken almost-curries. (also, every one of those dishes had ginger) I think if dates turn up in the food tonight I might be the only one eating it 😛

    Reply
  24. Malcolm Venter says

    December 6, 2009 at 10:15 pm

    This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it. I love your blog, the food is amazing and the photography is excellent. You are definitely a source of inspiration.

    Reply
  25. Jamie Dougherty says

    December 14, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    I am such a date fan. This is fantastic. Thanks!

    Reply
  26. Talia says

    March 3, 2010 at 1:49 am

    i LOVE pastilla: when I was in Morocco we had it almost every day (including a version made with the traditional pigeon…) I always think about making it and then don't do it… thanks for the inspiration!

    Reply
  27. LoveNestNo.2 says

    April 17, 2011 at 7:18 pm

    I have had this dish before and this recipe sounds right on point. Beautifully delicious!

    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  28. Becky Stewart says

    March 21, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    Hard boiled eggs or just raw eggs?

    Reply
    • kevin says

      March 22, 2021 at 8:59 am

      The eggs are raw and the will form a binder to help keep the filling together. Enjoy!

      Reply

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