Prep. Time: 20′     Cooking Time: 1h      Serves 10

Ingredients:

  • 1 packet of country-style fillo dough
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 chicken (around 1½ kg)
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 4 dried onions, thickly sliced
  • 3 carrots, grated
  • 3 fresh green onions with their leaves, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Carolina rice
  • 1½ cups chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

  • For the chicken:
  1. Boil the chicken for 1 hour until it becomes tender.
  2. In the last ten minutes of boiling, add the onions and leeks to the broth.
  3. Remove the chicken from the broth and let it cool before deboning it.
  • For the filling:
  1. Drain the vegetables from the broth and place them in a bowl.
  2. For extra flavor, sauté them with a little olive oil in a large pan for 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the carrots, fresh green onions, finely chopped chicken, and rice.
  4. Pour a cup of broth over the mixture.
  5. Add salt, pepper, and sweet paprika.
  6. Let the filling absorb the liquids for a while.
  7. If you don’t want to sauté the vegetables, after boiling them in chicken liquid for 10 minutes, finely chop them and place them in a bowl.
  8. Add the chicken and the rest of the filling ingredients and mix.
  9. Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil over the filling, mix, and you are ready to assemble the pie in the baking dish.
  • For assembly:
  1. In a large, shallow, and oiled baking dish (42 cm), lay out the 3 fillo sheets radially, brushing them in between.
  2. Slightly crumple the fourth sheet before laying it on top.
  3. Empty the filling and fold the edges of the sheets over the filling.
  4. Cover with the remaining two sheets, brushing in between.
  5. Pour over any remaining olive oil.
  • For baking:
  1. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (upper and lower heating elements) by placing the dish on the lower rack for 35 minutes.
  2. Pour the remaining (1/2 cup) warm chicken broth over the entire surface of the pie.
  3. Turn the oven only to the lower heating element and continue baking for about 25 minutes until the fillo becomes crispy, and the entire pie comes off can slip off the tray.
  4. The pie is ready when you can heat the fillo sheets “crackle.”
  5. Let it rest for 10 minutes to absorb the moisture before cutting and serving.
  6. Enjoy!

Source: Argiro Barbarigou