Chicken Maqloubeh

RECIPE Lamees Dahbour of Mama Lamees Catering
PHOTOGRAPHY Tri Nguyen

Lamees Dahbour preparing her famous chicken maqloubeh

Read the accompanying story here: Inherited Ritual

Chicken Maqloubeh

Serves approximately 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 whole chickens, bone-in

• 5 cups basmati rice

• 3 lbs of eggplants

• 2 lbs of carrots

• 1 lb of potatoes

• 1 jalapeño

• 2 onions, chopped

• 1 knob of ginger

• ½ cup of neutral oil

• 1 cup of slivered almonds

Spice list:

• 2 tbsp of salt (to taste)

• 1 tbsp tumeric

• 1 ½ tbsp black pepper

• 2 tbsp ground coriander

• 1 tbsp ground cumin

• 1 tbsp mixed baharat (available in specialty stores)

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 6 bay leaves

• 6 cardamom pods

• 6 cloves

• 1 tbsp oregano

• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning

• 2 tbsp chicken stock (boullion)

Instructions:

1. Clean the chicken with lemon juice, vinegar, and soak in cold water for 20 minutes. Cut chickens roughly into 8 pieces.

2. Boil chicken in a large pot for 1 hour and 15 minutes, adding salt, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, jalapeño, and chopped onions. While boiling, soak rice for 30 minutes separately in cold water.

3. Cut eggplant, carrots, and potatoes into thick circles (1/2 inch slices). Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large Dutch oven. Working in batches, fry eggplant on both sides until golden brown and season with salt (approx. 5 minutes total). Remove from oil and place on cooling rack.

4. Wipe same pan, adding 2 tbsp oil and repeat frying process for all carrots (approx. 3 minutes) and potatoes (approx. 5 minutes), cooking vegetables separately and adding salt to taste.

5. Add last remaining oil and toast slivered almonds for 1 ½ minutes. Remove almonds from heat and transfer to a paper towel to drain.

6. Drain the rice and transfer into large Dutch oven. Season with chicken stock, Italian seasoning, oregano, mixed baharat, cumin, coriander, black pepper, and tumeric over medium heat until fragrant (about 1 minute). Transfer half the rice to a bowl and reserve.

7. Drain the pot with chicken over large strainer to preserve the stock. Remove the chicken for large pot and season with salt and black pepper. Fry in large pan until outside is slightly golden brown.

Layering the Dutch oven:

1. Smooth out bottom layer of rice inside pot by pressing firmly, then add a layer of fried chicken, followed by potatoes, another later of seasoned rice, a layer of fried carrotsm and finish with layers of seasoned rice, fried eggplant, and rice on top. Make sure to altenate between the seasoned rice and fried vegetables.

2. Press a flat ceramic plate on top to compress the layers of vegetables and rice.

3. Add the preserved chicken stock into the layered Dutch oven, and make sure the top rice lawyer is covered by 1 inch of broth. Cook on medium high heat until boiling. Once rice rises to the top, remove the plate and replace with pot cover.

4. Reduce the heat to medium low for about 30 minutes, rotating the pot every 10 minutes to ensrue heat is evenly distributed.

5. Remove from heat and let it sit covered for 10 minutes. Replace cover with large plate (circumference must cover pot opening), and using pot holderes, carefully flip the pot onto the plate, allowing it to sit inverted for a few minutes before slowly removing the pot to top with roasted almonds to serve.