Greek Chicken & Cheese Phyllo Pie: Kotopita (updates)

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Ingredients
​For the chicken:
3 lbs (1 and 1/2 kg) boneless skinless chicken thighs
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
ground black pepper, to taste
For the filling:
1/4 cup olive oil
​1 large onion, diced
2-4 garlic cloves, grated
​1 (16-ounce/450g) jar roasted red peppers, drained and diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or oregano
​salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
​1 cup crumbled feta cheese or more
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 cup grated gouda or mozzarella cheese
For the béchamel sauce:
4 cups whole milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup all purpose flour
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
​2 eggs
For the crust:
1 pound (#4) phyllo dough, thawed and at room temperature
1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted
a few tablespoons of sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
​Preheat the oven to 400 °F, 200 °Celsius.
​Place the chicken on a baking tray and drizzle the olive oil on top. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes.
Allow to cool completely and either chop it up or shred it and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
In a medium saucepan add the olive oil and onion and cook over medium heat until soft and golden. Add the garlic and warm through until fragrant.
Add the onion and garlic mixture to the mixing bowl with the chicken.
Make the Béchamel: Combine the olive oil and flour into the same saucepan. Cook over medium heat while whisking until it becomes slightly toasted. ​Add the milk, salt. pepper, and nutmeg. Whisk well to combine. Take care to not add too much salt. There will be lots of cheese in the filling which is already salty. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue whisking until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the eggs to a bowl and whisk them together. Pour some of the hot béchamel over the eggs while whisking to temper them and then add the egg mixture into the saucepan. Whisk together until smooth. Pour the béchamel over the chicken mixture.
Add the cheeses, the roasted red peppers, herbs, and spices, and mix well.
Taste to see if any more salt and pepper is needed.
​I always add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. It's up to you to do the same or to just leave it out.
Set the filling aside.
Reduce the oven to 350 °F, 170 °C.
Remove the phyllo from its packaging. Reserve 10 sheets for the top crust.
Brush a half-sheet (17.9"L x 12.9"W x 1"H) baking pan with butter.
Layer 2 sheets to cover the bottom of the pan and drizzle butter between the layers. Layer the rest of the phyllo going around the pan (most of each sheet shoul rest inside of the pan and some of it hanging outside the pan. Drizzle each phyllo layer with butter. (see video).
Spread the chicken filling into the center of the phyllo and cover the filling with teh phyllo extending outside of the pan. Drizzle butter over the layers.
Form the decorative topping: Take each layer of the reserved phyllo sheets and gather it to form an accordion shape. Place on top of the pie and tuck the edges in.
Drizzle the remaining butter over the top layers.
Bake on the center rack for 55-65 minutes until golden and crisp.
Allow the pie to rest for 15-20 minutes and serve. Kali Orexi!
Music Used:
Greek Sun Time (With Intro)
ITEM ID: 66582698
By: tonyanthony
Its All Greek
ITEM ID: 84456733
By: LowNotes
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