Continuing Education.
In our first week in Morocco last year, we spent several days in the Atlantic coastal town of Essaouira, south of Casablanca. We had been to this beautiful walled city before and enjoyed it so much that we had to return. When there in 2023, I asked the chef at our riad about specific Moroccan dishes. She graciously took me and Mark to the kitchen, gave us a little tour, and answered my questions. We hit it off right away, shared contact information, promised we’d be back for one of her cooking classes, and here we are!
Hayat is, indeed, a wonderful chef. We had enjoyed her Couscous Royale at the riad our second night, and the next afternoon met her to go shopping for our cooking class. We discussed what dishes we would make that evening, and she walked us through the markets to pick up the ingredients. The star of the evening was to be a Chicken B’stila but, beforehand, we would have several salads (“No festive meal,” she said, “can start without several salads.”) and, after dinner, a special dessert. One of the culinary highlights of the market was seeing the young men making brik, or warqa. They would spread the thin batter over the hot griddle with their bare hands, and with great dexterity flip them onto a pile. It was very impressive!
After the market, we took taxis to her home where we met her husband Hamide and youngest son Zachariah. First things first: in the traditional spirit of Moroccan hospitality, we started by sitting in her salon for hot mint tea and cookies. Then, in the kitchen, we chopped, sautéed, braised, fried, and baked for several hours, producing an amazing feast at the end. We started with six salads: Moroccan (tomato, peppers, and onion), carrot, za’alouk (eggplant), savory beet, sweet beet, and orange with black olives. (See my post on Moroccan Cooked Salads.) The dessert was called B’stila à la Crème: layers of thin, crisp pastry filled with an orange blossom-scented cream and almonds. The main course, a Chicken B’stila, was different from others I’ve made. There were no eggs involved, which made it a bit lighter yet. And it was more flavorful than others I’ve had.
For today’s recipe, I have simplified Hayat’s recipe a little to make it work for the non-Moroccan kitchen. I found a recipe in Paula Wolfert’s book, The Food of Morocco, for a simplified way to make the brik/warqa pastry in home. You can only imagine my glee and surprise when this worked perfectly! You can get the directions HERE on her website. The b’stilla came out beautifully and tasted fantastic, transporting me right back to Essaouira and dream of going back again, inshallah. To see all the beautiful food Hayat makes, and how much she enjoys sharing it with her classes, you can follow Hayat on Instagram @chefhayat.essaouira
~ David
Hayat’s B’stila
Filling
Almond Mixture
Assembly
To Finish
Soak chicken pieces in cider vinegar and water for 20 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a large deep pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden – about 10 minutes. Add chicken along with the spices: cinnamon stick, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, turmeric salt, and black pepper. Add water to cover and put on a lid. Cook until chicken is done — about 25-30 minutes. Remove chicken to a bowl and add a good pinch of sugar to sauce in pot; continue to cook until thick.
When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin (if using), take skin off the bones and shred.
In a food processor, grind almonds finely with 2 tablespoons sugar; transfer to a bowl. Add 1/4 cup orange flower water and stir to mix.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking sheet with vegetable oil. Spread out 5 sheets of brik (or warqa or phyllo) — arrange four into a cloverleaf pattern then add the fifth in the middle. Arrange shredded chicken in the center, then top with almond mixture, and finish by drizzling with the reduced pan sauce. Pull the four sides up and over the top, then cover with another sheet of brik and tuck the edges under. Gently pat down to be an even disk. Rub the top with melted butter and bake until golden — about 25 minutes.
Dust the top with confectioners sugar, lines of cinnamon in a pattern, then sprinkle on some sliced almonds, and few rose petals. Allow to cool for a few minutes to solidify before serving.
Serves 6-8.
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Jill
January 26, 2026 at 2:05 pmI am trying to imagine the tastes of this – sweet and sour?? Of course love all the serving pieces and vibrant vegetable colors.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:21 pmDefinitely not sweet and sour, Jill — sweet and savory. It’s a very special dish served on special occasions. Her serving pieces were wonderful!
Carolyne
January 26, 2026 at 2:59 pmWhat a great experience and fabulous recipe.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:20 pmThanks, Carolyne!
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 26, 2026 at 3:00 pmI love taking cooking classes in other countries…especially when you go shopping with the cooking instructor. It is a memorable day and the food is great. Sweet and savory, it sounds good and looks beautiful..
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:20 pmThanks so much, Karen — not only is it fun to take classes but to be invited into the home of the chef is remarkable.
Eha Carr
January 26, 2026 at 3:01 pmAbsolutely wonderful to wake up to this – love Morocco (am supposed to be living there part of the year ! ), think Essaouira beautiful, have always enjoyed your travel cookery and very much liked the few times I have been able to eat b’stila > fantastic post which just has to go back into the ether 🙂 !
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:19 pmThanks for sharing this, Eha — I hope others enjoy it. I remember how you loved Essaouira — such a special place. It stole our heart the moment we arrived.
joanna
January 26, 2026 at 3:08 pmThank you for sharing yoyr experience, this is wonderful recipe and fabulous photos.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:17 pmThanks, Joanna — sharing this with you and others made me very happy!
mimi rippee
January 26, 2026 at 4:00 pmOh how fantastic! I love b’stila! Look at that thin pastry. Wow. What a great class. (I could not get into mint tea for the life of me. It was so bitter in the end. But so pretty!)
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:17 pmI had to laugh, Mimi — I don’t like tea and never once drank any mint teat in Morocco. I always handed it off to Mark! 🤷🏼♂️ The class was realy fun. The pastry, though thin, was very malleable.
CC
January 26, 2026 at 6:27 pmShe looks lovely, and all that wonderful food! My aunt and uncle came over from Scotland many years ago and we went to a Moroccan restaurant. It was one of the times when we all laughed more than I think we ever had and one incident involved what I now believe is this dish!
We had no cutlery and we didn’t know how to approach eating it, so after some time, but Uncle Fred (who actually looked like Fred Flintstone) just shoved his index finger into the powdered sugar and pastry, and we all about died! SOOO funny! Honestly don’t remember how any of the food tasted that night, but we had the best time, ever!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:11 pmThat is a wonderful story, Christina! I wonder what the restaurant had in mind for you!?
Barb
January 26, 2026 at 6:32 pmVery educational and interesting! Hayat is very talented! It must have been fun working with her.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 5:10 pmShe is so delightful — we loved her from the moment we met three years ago!
Inger
January 26, 2026 at 6:32 pmHow lovely–both the trip and the recipe! And I assume you brought back the plate it looks so perfect on!
Inger
January 26, 2026 at 6:34 pmAnd I should add, I loved the comment “No festive meal can start without several salads.”
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:33 pmAnd, Moroccans take salads to a level I’ve never seen anywhere else!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:34 pmOur deep dark secret… that big platter is from Pottery Barn (not that we didn’t bring some ceramics back… and some bronze lamps, and a carpet).
FEL!X
January 26, 2026 at 6:39 pmNow I’m really tempted to try making warqa myself.
And because no pigeons are used, also this b’stilla.
Thank you David, for taking us to Essaouira!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:32 pmIt really wasn’t all that hard, Felix. I’m so glad I did it, as it is definitely night and day different from phyllo dough.
angiesrecipes
January 26, 2026 at 9:23 pmLooks like that you guys had a really great time with brilliant chef :-)) The chicken B’stila sounds and looks amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:30 pmWe did have a fantastic time, Angie. And we would go back again and again.
sherry
January 27, 2026 at 1:35 amwhat a wonderful experience David. How lovely to meet up with someone so well … lovely. This dish looks fabulous too!
sherry
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:30 pmThanks, Sherry. Whenever I love making friends when I travel, especially those who are passionate about people and food.
Mad Dog
January 27, 2026 at 3:03 amHow amazing!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:29 pmThanks, Mad Dog.
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
January 28, 2026 at 11:21 amSuch a unique dish and flavour combination, David – it looks wonderfully intricate, aromatic, and full of character. Truly a special and impressive recipe!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 28, 2026 at 4:29 pmThanks so much, Ben. The first time I had this dish, about 33 years ago, it was made with pigeon and included many of the bones. These days, boneless chicken is most common. I love all the different flavors and the sweet/savory combination.
Raymund
January 29, 2026 at 1:03 pmThis really hit home, such a gentle reminder that learning doesn’t have to be grand or formal to matter. I love how you framed curiosity as something we get to nurture rather than a chore, and the way you tied it back to everyday life made it feel so doable. It’s the kind of post that leaves you quietly motivated to stretch a little, try something new, and keep your mind awake in the best way.
David Scott Allen
January 29, 2026 at 1:34 pmThat is a beautiful summation, Raymund. I love learning and sometimes I am a little intimidated. Buut, I find that if I just put on my “big boy pants,” I can do pretty much anything! (At least once.)
Gerlinde
January 30, 2026 at 12:48 pmI loved Morocco, and what fun to be invited into a chef’s house. Your dish looks absolutely wonderful. I have a Moroccan friend in France, and I bet you he would love this too.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 2, 2026 at 8:43 amI think Morocco is such a fantastic destination. I’m glad you’ve been and enjoyed it too, Gerlinde.
Fran @ G'dyay Souffle
January 30, 2026 at 3:09 pmI’ve made brik pastry before and it’s rather difficult to handle, due to the thinness of the pastry. I’ve never been to Morocco before but you make it look so tempting! B’stila looks tempting, with the combination of the savory chicken and the spices, and powdered sugar (maybe I could skip dessert)?
Cocoa & Lavender
February 2, 2026 at 8:42 amI was really surprised at how easy the pastry was to use. Maybe that’s because I expected it to be miserable! Mine worked out pretty well. I really think you need to go to Morocco, Fran. It’s an incredibly special place, and I knew you’d enjoy the culinary scene.
Valentina
February 5, 2026 at 9:45 pmWhat a lovely, delightful chef. Delicious looking food, and what fun!!! That would be the highlight of a trip for me for sure. All the smiles in the last photo say it all. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
February 6, 2026 at 8:55 amThe cooking classes we took in Morocco were among the best I have ever taken, mostly because of the cultural experiences.
Pauline
February 9, 2026 at 1:32 amWhat an amazing experience, I would just love to be there. How authentically Moroccan this recipe sounds David. Who would think to add Orange Flower water to a chicken dish, but the Moroccans, and I love their salads. I have some phyllo pastry needing to be used, and Orange Flower Water, sounds like another recipe I need to try. I can understand why you keep going back, she looks just amazing.
Cocoa & Lavender
February 9, 2026 at 9:16 amThank you, Pauline. I remember the first b’stila I ever had, and was astounded at the combination of sweet and savory. Back in the early 90s, the only b’stila I saw available was pigeon. Nowadays, there is mostly chicken but also seafood and several others. I like the traditional made with chicken. The only thing I didn’t like about the pigeon was all the bones!
2pots2cook
February 9, 2026 at 4:55 amMy grandmother and mother both taught me to make phyllo at home but the rest you display is pure magic. Thank you so much for this special recipe David!
Cocoa & Lavender
February 9, 2026 at 9:11 amI need to take a phyllo making class — that would be fun. It seems a completely different process from making brik/warqa.It is a real special occasion recipe — and so good!