Moroccan Chicken Bastilla

Ingredients

• 1 (5-pound) chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large sweet onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• 2 to 3 sticks cinnamon

Preparation

1. 1Steps to Make It
2. 2Cut the chicken into pieces, discarding the skin. Add the butter and oil to a largeDutch ovenor other heavy duty pot and heat on medium until the butter melts. Add the onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Cover, and cook over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender and falls off the bone. Do not add water, and be careful not to burn the chicken or the sauce as this will ruin the dish.
3. 3Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate, and reduce the sauce in the pot until most of the liquids have evaporated and the onions form a mass in the oil. Stir occasionally, and adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning. Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.
4. 4While the sauce is reducing and the chicken is still warm, pick the meat off the bones, breaking it into bite-size pieces. Place in a bowl and stir in several spoonfuls of the onion mixture; cover the meat and set aside.
5. 5Cook the Chicken
6. 6Cook the Egg Stuffing
7. 7Transfer the remaining reduced onions and oil to a large non-stick skillet. Add the cilantro, and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes.
8. 8Add the beaten eggs, and cook as you would an omelet or scrambled eggs. Be patient, as it will take up to 10 minutes for the eggs to set. Some oil separating from the eggs is okay. Set the egg stuffing aside.
9. 9Make the Almond Topping
10. 10Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Test the oil by dropping in an almond. If tiny bubbles rapidly rise around the almond within a few seconds, the oil is ready. If the oil boils and splatters immediately, it's too hot.
11. 11Fry the almonds in batches, stirring constantly, until light golden brown. As soon as the almonds are richly colored, transfer them to a tray lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Fried almonds will continue to darken a bit after frying, so be careful not to burn them while they're in the oil.
12. 12When the almonds have cooled completely, pulse them in afood processoruntil finely ground. Put them in a mixing bowl, and with your hands work in the powdered sugar, orange flower water, and softened butter. Set aside.
13. 13Assemble the Bastilla
14. 14Generously oil a 14-inch or larger round pan. If you don't have a round pan, work on an oiled flat baking sheet or large plate, and shape a circular pie as best you can.
15. 15Brush melted butter on each sheet of warqa or phyllo dough as you work. If using phyllo, take care to keep it covered with plastic since it dries out very quickly.
16. 16Using your pan as a guide, overlap 3 or 4 single layers of warqa (shiny side down)—or double layers of phyllo dough—in a circular fashion, so that the inner halves of the pastry dough overlap in the center, and the excess dough drapes over the edges of the pan. Butter each layer of dough.
17. 17Place one buttered 12-inch circle of warqa, or two 12-inch buttered circles of phyllo, in the center of the pan. This forms the bottom of the pie.
18. 18Cover the 12-inch circle with the chicken filling, and distribute the egg stuffing over the chicken.