Chicken and dates pastilla

Inspired by a recipe in the guardian

I made my modifications and added /changed some spices but still kept the middle eastern flavours as thats at the heart of this recipe!

This was seriously delicious

Something i’d be making again!

Chicken thighs or legs 6-8 with skin and bones

salt 2 tsp

pepper 1 tsp

pitted dates 1 cup

onions 3, peeled and sliced

cinnamon stick 1

dried red chilli 2-3

Nine spice mix -recipe in my highlights 2 tbsp

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1/2 tsp cayenne powder

water 1 cup

filo pastry 1 packet

melted butter 4tbsp

Pre heat oven to 400 F

Heat a frying pan or cast iron pan

Place the chicken skin-side down in it and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Dont need to add oil

Cook till skin is crisp and gold, remove and keep aside

in the same frying and add the sliced onions and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add a bit of butter if needed ,it didn’t as v there was enough oil from chicken skin/

fat.Cook the onions until they are soft and slightly brown Add the cinnamon stick, dried chilli ,nine spice mix ,ginger powder and cayenne and mix well. Add dates and cook for 1 minute add water Once boiling, pour over the chicken thighs in an ovenproof pan. Cover the pan and place in oven and bake for 80 minutes or so till chicken is almost fall off the bone soft!

Pull the chicken from the bones and discard bones

Separate cooking liquid and add chicken back to the rest of onion and date mix

Remove the chilli and the cinnamon stick. Mix the chicken meat together with the cooked dates and onions, using little bit of the cooking liquid use your hands to roughly mix

Divide the phyllo into 4-5 sheets

And lay them in the baking pan crisscrossing over each other at the base and the rest hanging out the sides of the pan

This way basically layers are over lapping at base to make it thicker

Fill with the chicken mixture and fold the corners over to cover itt Brush the top of the pastry with some melted butter and put in the centre of the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and crisp.

Use the extra cooking liquid reserved as sauce

I also used the oranges seasoned with mint salt pepper and olive oil with it

Enjoy!!

Let me know if you try it😊