Ingredients
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Chicken Thigh Fillets (skinless & boneless)
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Coriander leaves (fresh Cilantro)
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garlic cloves
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Cariblend® Mild Caribbean Curry Powder
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Cariblend® Seasoned Salt
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olive oil (extra virgin)
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onions
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chicken stock
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honey
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Cinnamon (ground)
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almonds (blanched)
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pistachios (shelled) (unsalted)
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coconut sugar
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Cinnamon (ground)
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coconut oil
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eggs
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coconut cream
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Cariblend® Mild Jerk Spice
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paprika (sweet)
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Butter (unsalted)
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filo pastry
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lemons
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egg yolks
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icing sugar (confectioners' sugar)
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Cinnamon (ground)
Directions
Carib-Moroccan Chicken Bastilla Pies
Delicately-spiced, meltingly-soft chicken; succulently sweet honey-caramelised onions; mellow scrambled egg; crunchy chopped nuts with a pinch of lemon zest; all wrapped in a crispy filo case to create an explosion of flavours and textures. (Photographed here with Carib-Moroccan Orange Salad)
Ingredients
For the Chicken and the Onion Filling
- 700 g chicken thighs (skinless & boneless chicken thighs or breasts)
- 20 g fresh coriander (finely chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 2 tsp Cariblend® Mild Caribbean Curry Powder
- ½ tsp Cariblend® Seasoned Salt
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large onions (thinly sliced)
- 150 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp liquid honey
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Nut Filling
- 100 g blanched almonds
- 100 g shelled unsalted pistachio nuts
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the Savoury Scrambled Egg
- 10 g coconut oil or unsalted butter
- 5 large free-range eggs (well-beaten)
- 1 tbsp coconut cream (or cream or full-fat (whole) milk)
- ¼ tsp Cariblend® Mild Jerk Spice
- ¼ tsp Cariblend® Seasoned Salt
- ¼ tsp paprika
For Assembly and Finishing
- 40 g unsalted butter (melted)
- 325 g filo pastry sheets (or 6 JusRol filo pastry sheets)
- 3 lemons (zest only)
- 1 free-range egg yolk (well-beaten)
- 3 tsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Chicken and the Onion Filling
- Mix the coriander, garlic, curry powder and salt together in a small bowl.
- Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl and sprinkle over the seasoning ingredients. Rub the seasoning thoroughly into the chicken breasts, cover the bowl, and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
- Once the chicken thighs have been marinated, remove them from the fridge and bring them up to room temperature (½ - 1 hour, depending on the temperature of your kitchen).
- Whilst the chicken thighs are coming up to room temperature, slice the onions thinly.
- Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large skillet or frying pan with a lid.
- Add the onions, cover the skillet, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, golden, and translucent.
- Add the chicken thighs and all the seasoning ingredients and stir well to mix.
- Raise the heat to high and cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the chicken pieces are well-browned.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to the boil.
- Cover the skillet, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the skillet begins to dry out.
- Remove the chicken pieces from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, cut into 1 cm (½ in) pieces and place in a covered bowl in the fridge, until you are ready to fill the pies.
- Stir the honey and cinnamon powder into the skillet. Continue cooking, uncovered, over a low heat for a further 50 minutes, or until the onions are golden brown and all the liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool.
For the Nut Filling
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/400°F.
- Spread the almonds and pistachios over a baking tray and roast for 10-15 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure even roasting. The almonds should be light golden-brown, when finished.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Once cooled, add to a grinder or food processor with the sugar and cinnamon and process until coarsely ground.
- Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and set aside.
For the Scrambled Egg
- Melt the coconut oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the eggs, coconut cream, jerk spice, salt, and paprika.
- Cook, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until scrambled and fully set.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover, and set aside.
For Assembly and Finishing
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/400°F.
- Melt the butter.
- Cut the filo sheets into twelve 25 cm (10 in) squares. Keep them covered with a damp tea towel to avoid drying out. No need to cut the sheets if you are using JusRol filo pastry sheets.
- Lay a filo square on a work surface and lightly brush with melted butter, then lay another square on top and lightly brush with melted butter. If you are using JusRol filo pastry, lightly brush the entire sheet with melted butter, then fold in half and lightly brush the top surface with melted butter.
- Gently press the two layers of filo, buttered side down, into a small, shallow dish that is 13 cm (5 in) in diameter, with any excess pastry hanging over the edges.
- Add 1/6 of each of the filling ingredients to the dish in the following sequence, spreading each out to cover the full area of the pie: chicken pieces, onion filling, scrambled eggs, nut filling, lemon zest.
- Fold the overhanging pastry over the top of the filling and carefully turn the pie out onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, folded side down. Brush the top surface with 1/6 of the egg yolk.
- Repeat steps 4-8 for each of the remaining pies.
- Place the baking tray with the pies into the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 908kcalCarbohydrates: 63gProtein: 37gFat: 59gSaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 298mgSodium: 631mgPotassium: 867mgFiber: 8gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 848IUVitamin C: 37mgCalcium: 151mgIron: 6mg
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