Chicken B'Stilla

Makes 6 servings.

Can make the chicken and sauce up to a day ahead and keep covered and chilled until you are ready to construct the b'stilla

B'stilla is sometimes written as Pastilla

** be prepared: the chicken needs to marinate for an hour

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs, preferably organic, skinned
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, split, germ removed, and chopped
• ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Big pinch of saffron threads
• 2½ cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon shopped fresh parsley
• 8 sheets filo (each 9 x 14 inches)
• about 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 ounces sliced almonds (a scant cup), toasted and chopped
• Cinnamon sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Put the chicken pieces, onions, garlic, and spices into a Dutch oven or other large casserole and give everything a good stir (I do this with my hands). Cover and let the chicken marinate for 1 hour at room temperature (if it's easier for you, the chicken can be marinated in the refrigerator for as long as a day).
2. Add the chicken broth and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so that the liquid simmers, cover the pot and cook for 1 hour as which point the chicken should be falling-off-the bone tender.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bow. Strain the broth, saving both the liquid and the onions. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones an cut into small cubes or dice it.
4. Clean the Dutch oven and pour the broth back into it, or pour the broth into a medium saucepan. Whisk in the lemon juice, bring to a boil, and cook until you have about 1 cup liquid. Reduce the heat to low.
5. Beat the eggs with the honey and, whisking all the while, pour into the broth. Heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce thickens enough that your whisk leaves tracks in it, about 5 minutes. Pull the pan from the heat and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
6. Stir the chicken and reserved onions into the sauce, along with the cilantro and parsley (You can make he chicken and sauce up to a day ahead and keep it covered and refrigerated).
7. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
8. Place the filo sheets between sheets of wax paper and cover with a kitchen towel. Brush a 9-inch round cake pan, one that's 2 inches tall, with melted butter. Brush 1 sheet of filo with butter and center it in the pan, so that the excess hangs over the edges. Brush another sheet and press it into the pan so that it's perpendicular to the first sheet and forms a plus sign, Place a third and then a fourth buttered sheet into the pan so that they form an X, the overhang from all of the sheets should cover the edges of the pan.
9. Sprinkle half of the almonds over the filo. Spoon in the saucy chicken, spreading it evenly across the pan, and top with the rest of the almonds. Fold the overhanging filo over the chicken.
10. Butter the remaining 4 sheets of filo, stacking them one on top of the other on the work surface. Using a pot lid or the bottom of a tart pan as a guide, cut out a 10- to 11-inch circle. Center the circle over the cake pan and gently tuck the edges of the dough into the pan, working your way around it as though you were making a bed. Brush the top of the b'stilla with a little butter and sprinkle with some cinnamon sugar. Place the pan on the baking sheet.
11. Bake the b'stilla for 20 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350° F and bake for 20 minutes more. If the top seems to be getting too brown at any point, cover it loosely with foil. Transfer the b'stilla to a cooling rack and let rest for about 5 minutes.
12. Lay a piece of parchment over a cutting board, and have a serving platter at hand. Turn the b'stilla out onto the parchment-lined board and then invert it onto the serving platter so that t's right side up. Serve the b'stilla now, cutting it into wedges, or serve it warm or at room temperature.

From Around my French Table by Dorie Greenspan