Kotopita (Κοτόπιτα) — Greek Chicken Phyllo Pie

• 1 wholewhole chicken (1.6 kg total weight)
• 2 lwater
• 1yellow onion (peeled and quartered)
• 1carrot (cut into 3 pieces)
• 2celery stalks (cut into 3 pieces each)
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 2 gblack peppercorns
• 10 gfine sea salt
• 45 mlextra-virgin olive oil
• 2large yellow onions (finely chopped)
• 2leeks (white and pale green parts only, thinly sliced)
• 4scallions (thinly sliced)
• 50 gshort-grain rice
• 240 mlreserved chicken broth
• 2eggs (lightly beaten)
• 150 gfeta cheese (crumbled)
• 60 gkefalotyri cheese (finely grated)
• 0.5 bunchflat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
• 8 sprigfresh dill (finely chopped)
• 0.25 tspground cinnamon
• 0.25 tspground nutmeg
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 450 gphyllo pastry (14 large sheets, thawed if frozen)
• 80 gunsalted butter (melted)
• 10 gsesame seeds

Instructions

1. 1

   Place the chicken in a large pot with the water, quartered onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 10 g salt. Bring to a gentle boil, skim the surface carefully, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the broth is aromatic.

2. 2

   Transfer the chicken to a tray and let it cool for 15 minutes, then remove and discard the skin and bones. Shred the meat into bite-size pieces, strain the broth, and reserve 240 ml for the filling; keep any remaining broth for soup or rice.

3. 3

   Heat 45 ml olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat and add the chopped onions, leeks, and scallions. Cook for 12 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft, sweet, and reduced but not browned.

4. 4

   Stir the rice into the softened vegetables and cook for 1 minute so the grains are coated with oil. Add the reserved 240 ml chicken broth and simmer for 8 minutes, until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid but is still slightly firm.

5. 5

   Remove the skillet from the heat and let the mixture cool for 10 minutes so the eggs will not scramble. Fold in the shredded chicken, beaten eggs, feta, kefalotyri, parsley, dill, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and 4 g salt until evenly combined.

6. 6

   Heat the oven to 180°C and brush a 33 x 23 cm baking dish with a mixture of the melted butter and 30 ml olive oil. Lay 7 phyllo sheets in the dish one at a time, brushing each sheet with the butter-oil mixture and letting the edges overhang the pan.

7. 7

   Spread the chicken filling evenly over the phyllo base and fold the overhanging edges inward over the filling. Cover with the remaining 7 phyllo sheets, brushing each sheet as before, then tuck the edges neatly down the sides of the dish.

8. 8

   Brush the top generously with the remaining butter-oil mixture and scatter the sesame seeds over the surface. Score the top layers into 8 portions with a sharp knife, cutting only through the upper phyllo so steam can escape without exposing the filling.

9. 9

   Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the kotopita is deeply golden, crisp, and bubbling lightly around the edges. Rest it for 15 minutes before cutting so the filling settles and the phyllo stays flaky rather than collapsing.