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1
Melt half the butter in a deep, heavy pan.
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2
Brown the meat on both sides and add the onions. Cook until soft.
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3
Add the garlic, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and saffron in water.
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4
Pour in enough water to cover the chicken, season to taste, cover and cook on low for 1 hour or until the meat is tender and comes away from the bone.
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5
Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan, de-bone and remove skin by hand. Set aside.
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6
Add the lemon juice, coriander, and parsley to the meat juices leftover in the pan. Cook until thickened.
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7
Add the chicken. Allow the liquid to evaporate to leave just enough to moisten the filling.
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8
Combine the almonds, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside.
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9
Melt the remaining butter and grease a round baking tin, 23 centimeters in diameter.
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10
Place the phyllo pastry sheets on a damp tea towel and cover them with another damp towel to avoid drying out during the preparation process.
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11
Preheat the oven to 180C.
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12
Brush a sheet of pastry with oil and line the base of the pan, allowing about half the sheet to cover the sides and overlap.
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13
Repeat this operation with 5 or 6 more pastry sheets, ensuring they overlap and leave no gaps.
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14
Spread the chicken filling over the pastry sheets and cover with 3 more sheets. Brush with olive oil, and spread the almond mixture over the pastry.
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15
Fold over the pastry sheets into the center and brush with oil.
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16
To decorate the pastilla, brush 4 or 5 pastry sheets with oil, and cut into quarters.
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17
Pinch the pastry into rosettes and arrange on the top of the pastilla.
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18
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
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19
Sprinkle with icing sugar.
