Tastes Like Chicken!

Ingredients

• 1 (2 1/2- to 3-lb) chicken, cut up
• 1 chicken breast, halved
• Salt, pepper
• Butter or margarine (6 T for browning, 1/4 C for almonds, 1 C melted for phyllo)
• 4 chicken livers, diced
• 4 chicken gizzards, diced
• 4 chicken hearts, diced
• 1 C minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T chopped parsley
• 2 T chopped mint
• 1 t grated gingerroot
• 1/2 t ground cumin
• 1/2 t red pepper
• 1/2 t ground turmeric
• 1 t crumbled saffron threads
• 3 T ground cinnamon
• 3 C chicken broth
• 10 eggs, beaten
• 3/4 C chopped almonds
• 2 T granulated sugar
• 10 sheets phyllo dough
• 1/2 C golden raisins soaked in 1/2 cup warm rum
• 1 T powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Pat chicken pieces dry and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
2. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in skillet and brown chicken well on all sides.
3. Remove from skillet and set aside.
4. Add livers, gizzards, hearts, onion and garlic to skillet and cook, stirring, until onion is tender.
5. Stir in parsley, mint, ginger, cumin, red pepper, turmeric, saffron and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
6. Stir and cook 1 to 2 minutes longer.
7. Add broth and bring to boil, stirring.
8. Return chicken to skillet and simmer, covered, about 1 hour, or until chicken is tender.
9. Remove chicken from broth.
10. When cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones and cut meat into chunks.
11. Skim fat from broth.
12. Pour off 2 cups broth and reserve.
13. Reduce remaining broth to 1/2 cup.
14. Scrape bits from bottom of pan and reserve reduced mixture.
15. Return reserved 2 cups broth to pan and bring to simmer.
16. Pour eggs into simmering broth and whisk until soft creamy curds form.
17. Drain off excess liquid, if any.
18. Stir in reserved reduced mixture.
19. Brown almonds in 1/4 cup butter.
20. Toss with granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon.
21. Melt 1 cup butter.
22. Overlap 6 sheets phyllo dough in circle in 12-inch skillet or paella pan, first brushing each sheet with melted butter and letting about half the length of each sheet hang over pan edge.
23. Fold 2 more buttered sheets in half and place in middle of pan.
24. Layer almonds, half of egg mixture, chicken, drained raisins and remaining egg mixture in pastry-lined pan.
25. Fold sides of dough up over filling, brushing dry areas with more butter.
26. Tuck ends in around edges.
27. Place 2 more buttered and folded sheets of phyllo over bastilla, gently tucking in edges to form smooth surface.
28. Brush generously all over with butter.
29. With sharp knife, score top in diamond pattern.
30. Bake at 425F 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown.
31. Carefully slide onto serving plate and sprinkle lightly between diamonds with mixture of powdered sugar and remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon.
32. Serve warm.