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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.

Servings
4 servings
Prep
25 min
Cook
50 min

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

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Where to find these ingredients

These ingredients are common at Middle Eastern grocers; a well-stocked international supermarket usually carries them too.

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