Moroccan · Main Dishes
Fes Chicken Bastilla
Fes claims the original bastilla, and while pigeon was the historic filling, chicken is the everyday version served at family tables and city patisseries alike. Shredded chicken simmered in a saffron-onion sauce is layered with cinnamon-almond sugar inside crisp warqa pastry, landing the dish's signature sweet-savoury contrast in every bite.
- Prep
- 60 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 120 min
- Serves
- 8
- Level
- Advanced
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg chicken thighs, bone-in
- 2 onions, grated
- Generous pinch saffron threads and 1 tsp ground ginger
- 150 g blanched almonds, toasted and crushed
- 80 g icing sugar plus 1 tbsp ground cinnamon, for dusting
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 12 sheets warqa or filo pastry
- 100 g butter, melted
Method
- 1
Braise the chicken
Simmer the chicken with onions, saffron, ginger, salt and 300 ml water for 40 minutes until falling off the bone. Remove chicken, shred the meat, and reduce the remaining sauce.
- 2
Set the eggs
Pour the beaten eggs into the reduced sauce and stir gently over low heat until softly scrambled and thick, not runny.
- 3
Make the almond sugar
Mix the crushed toasted almonds with half the icing sugar and half the cinnamon.
- 4
Layer the pie
Brush a round dish with butter and overlap warqa sheets to line it. Spread the shredded chicken, then the egg mixture, then the almond sugar in layers.
- 5
Wrap and seal
Fold the overhanging pastry over the filling and top with two more buttered sheets tucked underneath for a clean top.
- 6
Bake
Bake at 190°C for 25–30 minutes until deep golden and crackling.
- 7
Dust and serve
Dust the hot pie with the remaining icing sugar in a lattice pattern, then a fine dusting of cinnamon, and serve immediately.
Chef's tips
- Reduce the chicken sauce hard before adding the eggs — a watery sauce makes for a soggy pastilla.
- Keep spare warqa sheets under a damp towel while assembling so they don't dry and tear.
- Toast the almonds until deep golden; pale almonds taste flat against the sweet-savoury layers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use filo pastry instead of warqa?
Yes, filo is a reasonable substitute, though it's more delicate — brush each layer generously with butter and work quickly.
Why is bastilla sweet and savoury at once?
It reflects Fes's old Andalusian-influenced court cuisine, where cinnamon and sugar were paired with poultry as a mark of festive luxury.