Recipe: Moroccan Chicken Pie

If you are interested in entering a pie in the savory category for the 6th annual Good Food pie contest, why not practice with this recipe from Aliya Leekong’s award-winning book, Exotic Table. It was just listed in Food & Wine Magazine as one of the top 25 cookbooks of the year. Leekong says that this recipe fuses Bastilla, a Moroccan pigeon pie and a classic chicken pie for a result that has the “flavor of bastilla with a slightly shorter prep and cooking time and the feel of an old-fashioned chicken pie.”

Moroccan Chicken Pie

yields 1 (9½”) pie

For the chicken filling:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 medium leek, white and light green

parts only, thinly sliced

¼ fennel bulb, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon minced ginger

1½ pounds ground chicken

3 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

¾ teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

pinch saffron

1 dry bay leaf, crushed

½ cup chicken stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ teaspoon lemon zest

small handful of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

7 eggs, divided

½ cup heavy cream, plus extra for the egg wash

salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the nuts:

½ cup unsalted marcona almonds, toasted

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the crust:

2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed per

package instructions

confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Heat a large sauté pan with straight sides over medium heat. Add the butter and when the foam subsides, toss in the shallot, leek, fennel, ginger, and a bit of salt to draw out the moisture. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the vegetables have softened and the shallot is translucent.

3. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the chicken, garlic, spices, and bay leaf. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, using a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Add the chicken stock and when it simmers, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the spices have penetrated. Remove from the heat, season generously to taste with salt and pepper, and let cool until it’s just warm to the touch. Add in the lemon zest and chopped cilantro.

4. Separate 2 of the eggs (reserving the whites for later use in another recipe, if desired), and in a large bowl, beat 4 of the eggs along with the 2 yolks. Add the heavy cream and season generously. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken mixture into the egg mixture and combine thoroughly.

5. To the bowl of a food processor, add the toasted almonds, sugar, and cinnamon and process until it forms a coarse meal.

6. Roll out the 2 sheets of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface so that they are larger than your 9½” pie dish. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and drape one sheet of rolled out puff pastry in the pie dish, letting the ends hang off the sides. Sprinkle half of the almond mixture in the bottom of the pie dish, fill with the chicken mixture, and top with the other half of the almond mixture. Place the other rolled-out puff pastry sheet on top, cut the overhang with a paring knife, and crimp the edges together decoratively.

7. Beat together the remaining egg with a bit of heavy cream to make an egg wash and brush the surface of the pastry all over with the egg wash. Cut slits in the top of the pie to let out steam and place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden.

8. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, before serving.