Moroccan Pastilla — Chicken and Almond Phyllo Pie – Dairy-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   Thaw the phyllo dough in the fridge overnight, until pliable but still cold.

   Refrigerator

   💡Work with store-bought dough while it's cold: warm puff pastry gets sticky and won't puff in the oven, and phyllo sheets dry out fast, so keep the waiting sheets covered with a damp towel.

For the Pastry Filling

1. 2
   Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   ⚙ Pan-fryingStoveFrying pan
2. 3
   Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion turns golden.

   ⚙ Adding to the hot fat and fryingStove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
3. 4
   Add the chicken and the cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, salt and black pepper and stir.

   Stove
4. 5
   Remove from the heat and add the eggs, parsley, cilantro and almonds. Mix well.

To assemble

1. 6
   Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 7
   Grease 28 cm round pan and lay in it 5 phyllo sheets, spreading a little the oil on each sheet, so that the edges of the sheets hang over the sides of the pan.

   Baking panPastry brush
3. 8
   Pour in the filling.
4. 9
   Fold the edges of the sheets over the filling.
5. 10
   Cover with 5 more phyllo sheets, brushing each one with a little the oil as well.

   Pastry brush
6. 11
   Bake 25–30 minutes, until the pie is golden.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
7. 12
   Sprinkle the powdered sugar and cinnamon over the top and serve.