Moroccan Chicken Potpie

I came upon this recipe when I was searching for a recipe for B'stilla. A Moroccan dish that I first had at Marrakesh, a fantastic restaurant in Philadelphia. B'stilla is traditionally made with pigeon, however chicken is often substituted. It is a savory pie with a subtle sweetness from the spices and layers of phyllo-like pastry. Seriously...what's not to love?

B'stilla is a tad time-consuming so I chose to make this recipe instead as the flavors and concept were similar.

D and I both loved this dish...I believe he gave it 5 starts ( out of 5!). It's great the next day even though the pie crust isn't as crispy. I doubled the spices as some reviewers suggested and thought it was perfect. I also used regular raisins as I couldn't find golden raisins. Obviously from the picture, I don't quite have the hang of making pastry look nice yet...all things in time.

Moroccan Chicken Potpie

Adapted from Bon Apetit-December 2007

1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon paprika ( I used 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (i used 2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon ( I used 1/2 tsp)
1 lemon
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup imported green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup golden raisins ( i used regular raisins)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
1 refrigerated pie crust (half of 15-ounce package)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix chicken cubes with paprika, cumin, and cinnamon in large bowl to coat. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper. Cut lemon in half; remove seeds. Using small spoon, scoop out enough pulp and juice from between membranes to measure 2 tablespoons. Add to chicken mixture; stir to blend.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, olives, and raisins. Sauté until onion is almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken mixture and stir 1 minute. Sprinkle flour over; stir 1 minute. Add broth and bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Transfer filling to 9-inch-diameter deep-dish glass pie dish.

Place pie crust over dish and seal dough edges to rim of dish. Using small paring knife, cut several slits in pie crust. Bake pot pie until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling thickly, about 20 minutes.