Tiropita is a traditional savory Greek pastry full of cheese, herbs, spices, and, in this case, chicken. Ricotta and feta are mixed together with eggs, green onions, dill, and ground chicken that’s been sautéed with fresh garlic. Dollops of the filling are wrapped up in buttered sheets of filo dough and baked until puffy, flaky, and golden. The filling becomes gooey and melted and the chicken provides a wonderful contrast in taste and texture to the tangy soft melted cheese. When working with filo, make sure to keep it covered with a kitchen towel once you’ve removed it from its package. It is very thin and will dry out very rapidly if left exposed. Work as quickly as possible to minimize the amount of time it is exposed to air. • makes about 24 pockets
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the ground chicken and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the meat apart with the end of your spoon, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the feta and ricotta together. Add the eggs and stir until combined. Add the green onions, dill, salt, and black pepper and mix until thoroughly combined. Add the chicken mixture to the feta mixture and stir until combined to make the filling. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12 by 17-inch baking sheet.
Take the filo dough out of the package and unroll it so it lays flat. Cover the filo with a dry kitchen towel and then a damp one to keep the sheets of dough from drying out while you’re working.
Take a single sheet of the filo dough and brush it sparingly with melted butter. Now fold it in half lengthwise and brush the surface sparingly with butter again. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the bottom right corner of the strip. Fold the filo and filling over from the bottom right to the left to encase the filling and create a small triangle. Continue folding as you would fold a flag, folding the filling in the triangle up the sheet of dough. Seal the pocket by brushing the seam with butter, then place it seam-side down on the baking sheet. Brush the top with butter as well.
Repeat until all the filling has been used, making about 24 pockets. Bake until the filo dough is golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.