Jordanian Maqluba-Inspired Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Bake
Layers of spiced chicken, roasted cauliflower, carrots, and rice, baked together and flipped tableside in Jordanian style.
Maqluba means “upside down” in Arabic, and that's exactly the fun of this dish: chicken, vegetables, and rice are layered in a pot, baked together, and then flipped onto a platter in one dramatic motion, revealing a beautifully stacked cake of a dinner.
The cauliflower here is roasted before it goes into the layers rather than left raw, which fits the lightly-cooked-cruciferous approach we lean on for thyroid-conscious cooking. The chicken thighs bring a good amount of zinc to the dish, and toasted almonds and pine nuts scattered over the top add a little extra crunch and their own contribution of minerals.
Warm spices like cinnamon, allspice, and cumin tie the whole thing together, and a side of plain yogurt is the traditional (and genuinely good) way to serve it.
Ingredients
These ingredients are common at Middle Eastern grocers; a well-stocked international supermarket usually carries them too.
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