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Thursday, January 27, 2011

FFWD: Chicken B'stilla

I was a little apprehensive about this week's selection. Mostly because the ingredients is all 100% chicken. I have nothing against chicken. My issue is that we don't eat that much meat. And there is nothing else in this dish, except for eggs of course, which again, is also protein and chicken-base.

So then I tried to think of what I could add to the recipe so I could use less chicken and at the same time  will not alter the taste so much. And it took me about 10 seconds before I figured it out.

MUSHROOM!

Problem solved.

This dish is easy but it has a lot of steps that require you to wait (chicken needs to marinate for 1 hour, then simmer for 1 hour, then cool down, etc). Not a big problem for me as I can do other things while waiting, such as making cakes for HCB.
I followed the recipe exactly, except for I used 4 chicken thighs (instead of 8) and about a pound of cremini mushrooms. I diced the mushrooms and sauteed them on the side with EVOO and butter. Then they are  added to the thickened broth along with the shredded chicken.

I did get whole wheat fillo dough instead of regular fillo dough. I didn't use to like whole wheat flour but now that I'm used to it I love the taste (it's healthier as well).

Fillo dough is a bit annoying to work with. It's so fragile and thin that it breaks when I try to drape it into the pan. Good thing that they're all covered with the filling anyway, so it doesn't have to be pretty.

With the addition of mushrooms, this recipe makes one 9 inch Chicken B'stilla and a mini 4 inch one. I like the mini one, it's so cute.

Tasting impressions:
We love this dish so much that I have made it twice (both times with mushroom). And it will definitely get made again many many times in the future :).

14 comments:

  1. I just finished reading Marie's post on it and we all had our doubts going into this right... I like your idea of the mushroom, did it work with the honey-tasting sauce?

    But, I'm making a note on the book of your addition. And also, I found the "original" moroccan recipe and it's really totally different version of Dorie's I'm making this again, but using their version and then we are going to do a comparing tasting.

    BTW: love your plates... would I be right guessing.. Target? Because I saw them there and it took all of my willpower to NOT BUY THEM! Now looking at your amazing picture I'm regretting it.

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  2. Monica, the mushroom worked with the sauce. It was a yummy combo.

    The plates, the top ones (with all the lines) is a hand me down from friend who moved away. The solid blue one was Goodwill for FIFTY CENTS! :)

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  3. OH MAN... I cannot beat goodwill!

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  4. Your mini b'stilla is adorable and it sounds perfect with mushrooms (I love them!). Next time I make this, I'll use those in the filling - thanks for the suggestion! :)

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  5. Mushrooms!! Brilliant idea. I love the idea of making this with different fillings.

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  6. I have to agree, the mini one is adorable! Would love to try the mushroom idea, but I have a non-mushroom person in the house, unfortunately. Ever consider chickpeas?

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  7. Another great variation! Did you use a muffin tin or cup for the mini version? It's so pretty-- I was thinking about trying it with triangles but I love this cupcake adaptation!

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  8. Love the mushrooms idea! I'm definitely going to try that out. Thanks!

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  9. Great variations. Lovely photos, as well. I love how people made this dish their own.

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  10. Twice already! Definitely worth the work.

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  11. I bet it was delicious with mushrooms. Your photos are super!

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  12. I thought about mushrooms...wish I had used some. And I kept thinking about lots of nice veges with the chicken, chicken, and more chicken. I'll bet yours was really delish...ours was really good, but I can think of ways to make it better.

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  13. Great idea to ad some extra filler. :) Glad you liked this even with the fragile phyllo dough.

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  14. Cremini mushrooms really are wonderful. They'd add so much to the sauce. Great choice.

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