Mini sweet‑savory chicken pastilla

Ingredients

• 3 pieces Medium onions (peeled and chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Salt (to taste)
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground black pepper (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon Ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon (divided for two uses)
• 5 pistils Saffron threads (optional)
• 3 pods Cardamom pods (to remove before serving)
• 2 small sticks Cinnamon sticks (to remove before serving)
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Sunflower oil (extra for frying the almonds)
• 1 teaspoon Clarified butter for cooking the chicken (or regular butter)
• 100 ml Water (for cooking the chicken)
• 450 g Chicken breast (cut into large pieces, not shredded after cooking)
• 2 tablespoons Fresh cilantro (chopped)
• 1 tablespoon Fresh parsley (chopped)
• 50 g Rice vermicelli (Chinese) (soaked 2‑3 min in boiling water then drained)
• 180 g Whole blanched almonds (blanched, dried and toasted)
• 1 teaspoon Orange blossom water
• 2 teaspoons Granulated sugar (not powdered sugar)
• 80 g 82% fat quality butter (for the almond‑butter mixture)
• 16 leaves Filo (phyllo) pastry (cut into appropriately sized squares)
• 2 tablespoons Honey (to brush hot on the pastillas fresh from the oven)
• some grams Edible rose petals (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Prepare the aromatics

   Peel and finely chop the 3 onions. Measure the salt, pepper, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon sticks.

   Time: PT10M

2. Sauté the onions and spices

   In the pot, combine the chopped onions, spices, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp sunflower oil and 1 tsp butter. Mix over low heat, then place over medium heat and sweat for 5 min without letting it burn.

   Time: PT5M

3. Cook the chicken

   Add the 450 g whole chicken breast to the pot, pour in 100 ml water, cover lightly and cook over medium heat then reduce to low heat for 30‑40 min, turning the chicken halfway through. Add cilantro and parsley at the end of cooking.

   Time: PT35M

4. Remove aromatics and shred the chicken

   Remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. Let the sauce reduce slightly, then shred the hot chicken using two forks.

   Time: PT5M

5. Prepare the rice vermicelli

   Bring a small pot of water to a boil, plunge the 50 g rice vermicelli for 2‑3 min, then drain and cut with scissors into small pieces.

   Time: PT5M

6. Mix vermicelli, chicken and sauce

   Stir the vermicelli into the pot, add an extra pinch of cinnamon, mix thoroughly until a homogeneous filling is obtained.

   Time: PT5M

7. Let the filling cool

   Transfer the filling to a large bowl and let it cool completely at room temperature (about 30 min).

   Time: PT30M

8. Blanch the almonds

   Place the 180 g almonds in boiling water for 10 min, drain, remove the skins and dry on paper towels.

   Time: PT15M

9. Toast the almonds

   Heat a cold pan, add a drizzle of sunflower oil, add the almonds and cook over medium‑low heat until golden in the center, about 8‑10 min, stirring regularly.

   Time: PT10M

10. Prepare the almond‑butter mixture

    Coarsely chop the toasted almonds, place them in a pot with 80 g butter, 0.5 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp orange blossom water, 2 tsp granulated sugar. Melt over low heat, let reduce slightly to obtain a fragrant clarified butter.

    Time: PT10M

11. Assemble the mini pastillas

    Cut each filo sheet into squares (about 10 cm). Brush each square with a mixture of sunflower oil and butter. Place a well‑filled teaspoon of filling in the center, fold the corners to form a sealed little packet, brush the edges again and place on a baking sheet.

    Time: PT20M

12. Bake

    Preheat the oven to 180°C on fan‑assisted heat. Bake the pastillas 20‑25 min until golden and crisp.

    Time: PT25M

    Temperature: 180°C

13. Finishing and decoration

    Immediately after removing from the oven, brush each hot pastilla with honey, sprinkle with sliced almonds and edible rose petals.

    Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

250

Protein

10 g

Carbohydrates

20 g

Fat

15 g

Fiber

2 g