Pastilla is the star of every grand Moroccan table: weddings, baby celebrations, welcoming honored guests. Beneath its golden crust dusted with sugar and cinnamon hide layers of chicken and almonds, and it’s that marriage of sweet and savory that makes it like no other dish.

It looks complicated, but it’s really just a series of simple steps: you cook the chicken, prepare the filling, then assemble and bake. The key is to keep the filling fairly dry so it doesn’t soak the pastry, and to work quickly when layering the warka sheets.

Moroccan Chicken Pastilla with Almonds

A Moroccan sweet-and-savory pie made with warka pastry, filled with spiced chicken, scrambled eggs, and toasted almonds, then dusted with sugar and cinnamon.

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مدة التحضير 45

مدة الطهي 45

الوقت الكلي 1 30

عدد الحصص: 6 people

Ingredients Method Notes

المقادير

1 chicken, cut into pieces (about 1.2 kg)
1 package of warka pastry sheets (about 10 sheets)
3 onions, finely chopped
1 cup blanched, toasted, and coarsely ground almonds
6 eggs
1 bunch of cilantro and parsley
1 teaspoon ground ginger
A few strands of saffron
Cinnamon, salt, and pepper
2 tablespoons powdered sugar + more for decorating
Melted butter for brushing the pastry
Orange blossom water (optional)

Method

Cook the chicken with the onions, spices, saffron, and a little water until fully tender. Drain it, let it cool, then remove the bones and shred the meat.
Let the broth simmer until it thickens, add the cilantro and parsley, then pour in the beaten eggs, stirring until they set and dry out slightly.
Mix the ground almonds with the sugar, cinnamon, and a little orange blossom water.
Butter a baking dish and arrange the butter-brushed warka sheets so their edges hang over the sides of the dish.
Spread a layer of chicken, then the egg mixture, then the almonds; cover with extra sheets and fold the edges in to seal the pie.
Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 25–30 minutes until golden, then flip it over and decorate with powdered sugar and lines of cinnamon. Serve hot.

ملاحظات

Make sure the chicken and egg filling is dry to avoid making the pastry soggy.
You can assemble the pastilla and freeze it before baking, then bake it straight from frozen when needed.
Well-toasted almonds give a deeper flavor than raw ones.

Frequently asked questions

Can I replace warka pastry with something else?

Yes, filo pastry is a close substitute if you can't find warka sheets.

How do I keep the pastilla from turning soggy?

Squeeze the filling well and let it cool, brush the pastry with butter instead of oil, and bake until it's fully browned.

Is pastilla served sweet or savory?

Chicken pastilla is savory at its core, with a sweet touch from the sugar, cinnamon, and almonds, and that balance is the secret to its fame.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA

Moroccan Chicken Pastilla with Almonds