Chicken Almond Pastillas Recipes

ALMOND-CRUSTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, season bread crumbs with salt and pepper. Place eggs in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons water, and beat lightly. Dip chicken in egg, wiping away excess with your fingers, and dip in bread-crumb mixture. Dredge until lightly coated. Dip in egg again, and coat thoroughly with almonds.
• Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until nicely browned, about 3 minutes, and turn over. Cook 1 minute more; then transfer pan to oven, and bake until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

ALMOND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl; add the chicken and stir well. Let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle the cornstarch over the chicken mixture, stirring well. Set aside. (Use this time to chop vegetables).
• Pour 1 tbsp oil around the top of a preheated wok, coating the sides; heat at medium-high (325 degrees) for 1 minute.
• Add the celery and mushrooms and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the snow peas, and stir fry 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bamboo shoots and water chestnuts, and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the wok; set aside, and keep warm.
• Pour the remaining 1 tbsp oil around the top of the wok, coating the sides; heat at medium high for 1 minute. Add the reserved chicken mixture; stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the vegetable mixture, almonds, and green onions, and stir fry 1 to 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

BAKED ALMOND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the flour in a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken, a few pieces at a time. Seal bag; shake to coat chicken. In a shallow dish, combine 7 tablespoons butter, salt, paprika and celery salt. Add chicken pieces and turn to coat. , Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with almonds. Pour cream around chicken. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup sauce. , Stir sour cream into sauce; pour over the chicken. Combine bread crumbs with the remaining butter; sprinkle over chicken. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes more or until chicken juices run clear.

CHINESE ALMOND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix the soy sauce, salt, cornstarch, and sherry in a large bowl. Stir in chicken; cover and refrigerate.
• Heat 1 1/2 cups of the peanut oil in a large, deep skillet. Fry almonds in the oil until golden, about 1 minute. Drain fried almonds on a paper towel.
• Drain all but 3 tablespoons of oil from the skillet. Stir in the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, celery, onion, and water chestnuts. Cook and stir vegetables for 1 minute. Remove from skillet.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in the skillet. Cook and stir the marinated chicken in hot oil until no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in cooked vegetables, chicken stock, and reserved soy sauce mixture; simmer until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in fried almonds before serving.

CHICKEN & ALMOND PASTILLAS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp butter in a large casserole dish, add the onion, ginger and garlic, and cook for 5 mins until soft. Add the cinnamon, the cardamom seeds and the turmeric. Stir around the pan for 30 secs until aromatic, then add the chicken and flour. Stir to coat the chicken pieces, then add the chicken stock and season. Stir, cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 45 mins.
• Remove the lid from the pan and lift the chicken pieces onto a plate. Add the honey and almonds to the cooking liquid and turn up the heat. Bubble the liquid until thick and reduced by about half. Meanwhile, finely shred the chicken with 2 forks. Return the chicken to the sauce and stir in the orange zest, apricots, flaked almonds and parsley - the mixture should be quite thick. Leave to cool.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Unwrap the pastry, keeping any you're not working with under a damp tea towel, so it doesn't dry out. Taking one piece at a time, brush all over with the melted butter, and around the edges with the beaten egg. Put roughly a sixth of the chicken filling in the top right-hand corner in a triangular shape. Fold the opposite side of the pastry over to cover the filling. Keep flipping the encased filing down the pastry, brushing between the layers with butter as you go, to give you a triangular parcel, like a large samosa. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling until you have 6 pastillas. Put the pastillas on a baking tray and brush the tops with egg. Bake for 25 mins until the pastry is crisp and golden.
• For an authentic finish, mix together the remaining cinnamon and icing sugar, and dust the pastillas just before serving.

EASY ALMOND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Season with garlic powder to taste and bake in the preheated oven for 1/2 hour.
• In a small bowl mix together the soup and milk. Pour mixture over chicken and bake for another 1/2 hour. Meanwhile, toast almonds and add to chicken during the last few minutes of baking.

QUICK ALMOND CHICKEN STIR-FRY

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook almonds in oil for 3 minutes. Add chicken; cook until meat is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. , In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, broth, soy sauce, honey and ginger until smooth; add to chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat; add in peas. Cook and stir until heated through. Serve with pasta or rice.

CHICKEN WITH ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a skillet, heat the butter, add the chicken and brown on all sides. Remove chicken and keep hot. To the pan add the garlic, onion and cook over low heat 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and flour and stir with a wire whisk until mixture is smooth.
• Stir in the stock and sherry. When mixture returns to a boil, return chicken to pan and add almonds, salt, pepper and tarragon. Cover and simmer slowly 45-50 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a shallow casserole, stir the sour cream in the sauce remaining in the pan and heat thorougly. Do not boil. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with cheese. Brown lightly under preheated broiler.

INDIVIDUAL B'STILLAS (MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND ALMOND PIES)

Steps:

• To make the almond sugar:
• In a food processor grind fine almonds, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Almond sugar may be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in a cool dark place.
• To make the filling:
• In a small bowl combine saffron with hot water and let stand 10 minutes.
• In a heavy 4-quart kettle sauté onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and add ginger, ras el hanout, and pepper. Cook mixture, stirring, 3 minutes.
• Add chicken parts, broth, and saffron mixture and simmer, covered, turning the chicken once, until chicken is very tender and cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Let chicken stand in cooking liquid off heat 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving cooking liquid and solids, and, when cool enough to handle, shred chicken, discarding skin and bones.
• Measure reserved cooking liquid and solids and if necessary boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 3/4 cups. Reduce heat to moderate and add eggs in a stream, whisking. Cook mixture, stirring, until eggs are set, about 3 minutes. Remove kettle from heat and pour egg mixture into a coarse sieve set over a bowl. Let mixture drain undisturbed 10 minutes before discarding liquid. Transfer egg mixture to a bowl. Stir in chicken, parsley, coriander, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and chill. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and kept chilled, covered.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. and butter 2 large shallow baking pans.
• In a small saucepan melt remaining 9 tablespoons butter and keep warm but not hot.
• Cut phyllo sheets in half lengthwise and stack between 2 sheets wax paper. Cover wax paper sheets with a kitchen towel. On a work surface arrange a half sheet of phyllo with short side facing you and brush with melted butter. On this, layer and brush 3 more half sheets of phyllo in the same manner.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon almond sugar on short side of phyllo nearest you to cover about 2 1/2-by 4-inch area, leaving a 1-inch border on 3 edges. Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture over almond sugar and spread out slightly. Top chicken mixture with 1 more tablespoon almond sugar and roll up filling in phyllo, folding in sides after first roll. Transfer b'stilla immediately.
• Form 8 more b'stillas in the same manner with remaining phyllo, butter, almond sugar, and chicken mixture, chilling each b'stilla as it is made. B'stillas may be prepared up to this point 4 hours ahead and kept chilled, covered lightly with plastic wrap once cold.
• Bake chilled b'stillas in oven until tops and ends are puffed and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool b'stillas slightly on a rack. Sprinkle b'stillas with confectioners' sugar and cinnamon and serve warm.
• To make the ras el hanout:
• In a spice grinder or cleaned coffee grinder grind fine aniseed, fennel seeds, allspice berries, cardamom seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cuminseed, and red pepper flakes, In a small bowl stir together ground spice mixture, mace, ginger, and nutmeg until combine well. Ras el hanout may be stored in a tightly closed jar in a cool dark place up to 6 months. Makes about 1/4 cup.