Chicken Bisteeya
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 2 hours |
| Cook time | 2 hours |
| Total time | 4 hours |
| Meal type | Main Dish |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
| Region | Moroccan |
| By author | David Leibovitz |
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 Medium onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 piece ginger (peeled and minced)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups water
- 1 lemon (zested)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped, Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
- 8 Sheets filo dough
- 4 tablespoons butter (melted)
Note
When working with filo, you need to get everything ready to go before unwrapping the dough. You will need your work area set up, and once you start you need to work quickly. Don't rush, but keep going, once baked filo is very forgiving, and it will look fine, but while you are working with it it can dry out and fall apart very fast. Make sure to cover the dough with a damp towel each time you take a sheet.
Directions
| Step 1 | |
 Pat chicken dry, and season with salt and pepper | |
| Step 2 | |
| Heat 2 TBL of oil in a large pan with a tight fitting lid, and when oil is hot add onion and saute over medium heat, until translucent, remove onions from pan, set aside | |
| Step 3 | |
 Add 1 TBL of oil to pan, allow to heat up, and place chicken in pan skin side down Let chicken brown on both side, about seven minutes on each side, remove from pan | |
| Step 4 | |
 Return onions to pan and add in ginger, garlic, turmeric and approximately half the cinnamon, stir well, and put chicken back into pan, let mixture cook until fragrant, about two minutes, then add water to pan, cover and let simmer for thirty minutes | |
| Step 5 | |
| Remove chicken from pan, and when cool enough, tear chicken into bite sized pieces, discarding the skin and bones While chicken cools, reduce cooking liquid in pan by half, on medium heat, about fifteen minutes | |
| Step 6 | |
|
Mix the eggs in a bowl, and when liquid is reduced, add the eggs slowly, stirring all the time, and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture resembles soft scramble eggs, remove from heat and add to torn chicken | |
| Step 7 | |
| Put almonds into a bowl, mix well with sugar and remaining cinnamon, put about 1/4 cup of this aside to garnish the top of the pie, and add the rest into the chicken mixture Preheat oven to 375F | |
| Assmebly | |
| Step 8 | |
|
Choose an approximately nine to ten inch baking dish to assemble the pie. I used a Pyrex pie pan. Take a damp dishtowel, and leave the filo dough covered as you work, or it will dry out an crumble. Taking the filo leaves one at a time, lay them on a counter, and brush with melted butter, then place in the baking dish, letting the edges overlap outside the dish, and getting the leaves into the corners. | |
| assembly | |
| Step 9 | |
|
Continue this with 7 of the filo leaves. Add the chicken mixture to the baking dish. | |
| Step 10 | |
|
With the eighth sheet, brush with butter and place in the center of the pie, then fold the overhanging edges of the other leaved over the center piece. Brush top with butter, and garnish with the reserved almond-sugar mix | |
| assembly | |
| Step 11 | |
|
Bake for thirty to forty minutes. Remove when pie is golden brown.If you have made the pie in a pie pan, or spring-form pan you can gently remove it on to a platter. Serve by cutting into wedges. | |