Canada, Canadian wines, Lakeview, Niagara, Viognier, white wines, Wine and Dine, Wine and Food, Wines from Canada
Moroccan Chicken Bastilla with Almonds & Cinnamon
Apr
North African festive cuisine meets Canadian wine
Wine from Canada and an authentic chicken bastilla—it’s a meeting of two worlds that click from the very first bite. Bastilla is one of the great festive dishes of Moroccan cuisine: a crispy puff pastry pie filled with tender braised chicken, seasoned with saffron, ginger, and ras el hanout, and finished with toasted almonds and a pinch of cinnamon and powdered sugar, which lend the savory filling an unexpected sweet depth. The combination of salty, spicy, and sweet is typical of North African cuisine—daring at first thought, inevitably perfect at the first bite. This recipe takes time and love, but the result is a dish that leaves guests speechless.
Ideal wine pairing: Lakeview Viognier, VQA Niagara Peninsula (Niagara, Canada)
A chicken bastilla with almonds and cinnamon calls for a wine that reflects the dish’s aromatic complexity, picks up on the spice of saffron and ras el hanout, and at the same time elegantly complements the sweet notes of cinnamon and powdered sugar—and this Viognier from the Niagara Peninsula achieves exactly that with surprising finesse. The 2023 vintage had a late start to the season, which shortened the growing period but reduced the risk of frost—moderate summer temperatures delayed ripening, while a sunny, dry fall ensured optimal phenolic ripeness and preserved the typical Viognier aromas with a moderate alcohol content of just 12%. The grapes were pressed separately by batch and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks—using a yeast strain from the Viognier’s homeland, the Côtes du Rhône, to emphasize the classic character of the grape variety. In the glass, it displays a bright, luminous golden yellow, and the nose is fragrant and inviting: jasmine and honeysuckle meet citrus zest, underpinned by juicy peach and apricot fruit with a hint of mango—aromas that wonderfully mirror the spice profile of the bastilla, particularly saffron and ginger. On the palate, it is medium-bodied and silky with a refreshing acidity of 5.61 g/L, which brightens the creaminess of the phyllo dough and lends the dish a lightness without detracting from its complexity. Extra dry with only 1.2 g/L of residual sugar—a wine that proves Canada speaks its own distinct, unmistakable language when it comes to Viognier.
The recipe:
Moroccan Chicken Bastilla with Almonds & Cinnamon
Equipment
- 1 Große Pfanne oder weiter Topf mit Deckel
- 1 Springform (ca. 22 cm) oder ofenfeste Pfanne
- 1 Backofen
- 1 Schneidebrett und Messer
- 1 Rührschüsseln
- 1 Pinsel zum Bestreichen
- 1 Küchenreibe
- 1 Sieb für Puderzucker
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN FILLING:
- 2 Chicken breast fillets or 4 chicken thighs about 600 g
- 1 large onion fein gewürfelt
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger grated
- 1 teaspoon of ras el hanout
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric
- ½ teaspoon of saffron threads dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of white pepper
- 2 Tablespoon of olive oil
- 200 ml Chicken broth
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1 a small bunch of fresh parsley and cilantro finely chopped
- Salt
FOR THE ALMOND FILLING:
- 100 g Sliced almonds or coarsely chopped almonds
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon of cinnamon
FOR THE DOUGH:
- 8 –10 sheets of phyllo dough or warqa dough
- 80 g Butter melted
TO FINISH:
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Cinnamon for dusting
Instructions
PREPARATION:
- Soak the saffron threads in 2 tablespoons of warm water.
- Cut the chicken into large pieces or leave it whole—it will be shredded later.
- Toast the almonds in a dry skillet until golden brown, then mix them with butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon, and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 190 °C (top and bottom heat).
COOKING STEPS:
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onions over medium heat for 8 minutes until golden brown.
- Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Stir in all the spices—ras el hanout, turmeric, saffron (soaked in water), cinnamon, and white pepper—and sauté for 1 minute.
- Place the chicken in the pot, pour in the chicken broth, cover, and simmer over low heat for 40–45 minutes, until tender.
- Remove the chicken, let it cool, and shred it finely using two forks.
- Reduce the stock in the pot over medium heat, then stir in the beaten eggs and let them set while stirring—this creates a savory egg sauce.
- Combine the shredded chicken, herbs, and egg mixture, then season to taste.
- Brush a springform pan with melted butter.
- Place the phyllo dough sheets in the pan so they overlap, brushing each sheet with butter and letting the edges hang over the sides.
- Spread the almond mixture over the dough as the first layer.
- Spread the chicken filling over the top.
- Fold the overhanging edges of the dough over the filling, place additional buttered sheets of phyllo dough on top as a lid, and tuck them in.
- Brush the surface generously with butter.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25–30 minutes, until the bastilla is golden brown and crispy.
SERVE:
- Remove the bastilla from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Turn it out onto a serving platter or serve it directly in the pan.
- Generously dust with powdered sugar and use cinnamon to draw a decorative pattern—this isn’t just an optional extra, but part of the tradition.
- Serve immediately—bastilla tastes best when hot.
SIDE DISHES:
- Moroccan mint tea
- Fresh Orange Salad with Cinnamon and Mint
- Harissa as a dip for the adventurous
Nutrition
