Stranger Foods

Middle EasternChicken shawarma pie

Serves 6 | Prep 45 mins | Cook 1 hr 45 mins

Spiced marinated chicken thighs, slow-cooked until meltingly tender, layered with baked potato slices and rich tahini sauce, all wrapped up in thin-as-a-feather butter-brushed filo.

Source: Falastin

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

x0.5

750 g chicken thighs, skinless and boneless
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
⅛ tsp gound cloves
90 ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
2 tbsp cider vinegar
2 baking potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 0.5 cm-thick rounds
45 g unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
200 ml chicken stock
5 g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
5 g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
8 sheets of good-quality filo
1 tsp nigella seeds
¾ tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or ⅓ tsp regular chilli flakes)
Salt and black pepper

Tahini sauce

50 g tahini
80 g Greek-style yoghurt
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

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Put the chicken into a large bowl with the garlic, ginger, ground spices, 1 tablespoon of oil, the vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of black pepper. Mix to combine, then leave to marinate for at least half an hour (or overnight in the fridge).
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
Mix the potatoes with 1½ tablespoons of oil, ¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking tray and spread out so that they are not overlapping. Bake for , then increase the oven temperature to 220°C fan. Remove the tray from the oven, carefully flip over each potato slice, then return to the oven for another , or until golden. Remove from the oven and set aside until needed.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C fan again (or turn the oven off for now and preheat to 180°C fan before baking).
Put 15 g of butter and 1½ tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for , stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the chicken and cook for about , until lightly brown, then add the stock, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently for , or until the chicken is just cooked through. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to cook for about , or until the liquid has thickened and reduced to about 4 tablespoons. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for about , then use two forks to shred the chicken into large chunks. Stir in the herbs and set aside.
To make the tahini sauce, put the tahini, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice, ⅛ teaspoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of water into a bowl. Whisk together until smooth, then set aside.
Melt the remaining 30 g of butter and combine with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Line the base of a 23 cm springform cake tin with baking parchment and lightly grease the sides with some of the butter mixture. Lay a sheet of filo out on a clean work surface and brush with the butter. Transfer this to the tin so that the base is covered and the filo rises up and over the tin’s sides. Repeat with the next sheet of filo, brushing it first with butter, then arranging it in the tin, rotating it slightly so that the excess hangs at a different angle. Continue in this fashion, brushing each piece generously as you go, until you have used up 6 pieces of filo in total and the base and sides are all covered.
Next, add the potato slices, overlapping slightly, so that the base of the pie is completely covered. Top with the chicken mixture and gently push down to even out. Lastly, spoon over the tahini sauce, spreading it gently to coat the chicken layer. Brush a piece of filo with butter and fold it in half horizontally, like a book. Place this over the tahini layer, tucking in the filo around the filling. Brush the top with the butter mixture, then repeat with the last piece of filo, angling it to cover any exposed areas. Now fold over the overhang, crinkling up the filo to create a nice ‘crumpled’ effect on the top. Brush the top with the remaining butter, sprinkle with the nigella seeds, place on a tray and bake at 180°C fan for , or until deeply golden.
Leave to cool for about before removing from the tin. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve.

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