Moroccan chicken Briouat is a savoury Chicken snack cooked
with ginger, cinnamon and saffron which combined make a delicious filling for
the briouats. This filling is wrapped in a a paper like thin dough that is
called warga in morocco then the pastry is fried until it is crispy. Filo dough
or some spring roll wrappers can also be substituted for your warga.
The Briouats are usually served as an appetizer or finger
food but can also be served as an entrée. The briouats are very popular in
Ramadan when they are usually served to
break the fasting.
The briouats can be folded into triangles or cylinders to
your liking.
Ingredients For Chicken Briouats
- One whole chicken, with the skin removed and cut into pieces
- Large onions 2, medium chopped
- One tablespoon grounded ginger
- One teaspoon of white pepper
- Half teaspoon black pepper
- Two to three small pieces cinnamon sticks
- One teaspoon Saffron threads crumbled
- Half a teaspoon of turmeric
- One and a half to 2 teaspoons salt
- Quarter cup vegetable oil
- Quarter cup of olive oil
- Quarter cup chopped cilantro fresh
- Half kg warqa, Phyllo dough or spring roll wrappers (large)
- Four tablespoons of melted butter For when you fold the briouats)
- One egg yolk slightly beaten ( also for folding)
- Some vegetable oil (for frying)
Preparation Time: 90 minutes
Cooking Time :10 minutes
PREPARATION
Firstly mix the chicken in oil with some spices in a bottomed pot. Cover your chicken and let it cook on medium to medium high heat. Stir occasionally for about 1 hour or until the chicken is tender and falls off the bones. Be careful not to burn your chicken and don’t add any more water.
After the chicken is cooked put it into a plate to cool a little. Now leave your onions and sauce in the pot to cook for another 10 to 15 mins or until your onions form into a mass and the liquid is reduced to oils. Add in some chopped cilantro then remove your sauce from the stove.
While your chicken is still a bit warm take the meat off
from the bones and break it into small pieces. Add on some sauce to your
chicken and stir it to coat the meat properly. (At this particular point you
can refrigerate your filling for up to a day until you are ready to fold your
briouats)
Now your briouats can be folded into cylinders or triangles.
To fold into cylinders cut your dough into long strips of about four inches in
width. Smear the bottom side of the dough with the melted butter.
Put a large tablespoon or 2 of filling towards the bottom of
your dough. Fold two of the long sides of the dough on to the centre to cover
the filling partly. Fold the bottom part of the dough up and over the filling
to fully cover it. Now roll the folded dough up just like a rug, closing the
edges of the dough on the roll with some egg yolk.
To make large cylinders from square spring roll wrappers,
place your wrapper down and make sure it forms into a diamond shape in front of
you. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of your filling and fold the left and right sides
of your dough onto the center so the edges are straight and parallel. Roll the
dough just like you roll a rug sealing the top part of the dough with the egg
yolk.
You can now either cook or freeze your briouats. You can
deep fry them in hot oil till they turn light to medium golden brown, this
usually takes about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain your briouats and serve. These
delicacy can stay warm for a long time but if they stay longer and get cold you
can reheat them at 350 degrees in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes.
If you prefer to store them and cook later you can
refrigerate for a day or freeze for up to 2 months in a plastic storage
container or a freezer bag. You can fry them directly from the freezer or allow
them to thaw for at least thirty minutes to an hour before you fry them.
I hope you enjoy this recipe.
Health Tip: Do you know that saffron can aid in weight loss
if you want to lose weight. Saffron extract is a good weight loss supplement
and has been found to help with weight loss. Find out more by clicking the Link
below.
