Upside down chicken
مقلوبة الدجاج
Labor day is upon us, this dish is one of significant labor.
I am quite far from perfecting it as it requires multiple closely coordinated steps, operating in a vacuum while it cooks, and finally a perfectly coordinated flip of a large and hot cooking vessel.
I also always forget to garnish it with fried nuts.
This meal will complement your long weekend nicely if you choose to stray from the open fire.
1. Gather your ingredients
4-6 pounds of chicken, mix of thighs and drumsticks, skin-on.
1 head cauliflower.
1 onion.
4 cloves garlic.
1 tablespoon turmeric, 3 cardamom pods, 1 stick of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper.
4-5 small potatoes.
2 large tomatoes.
2.5 cups of rice.
4 cups of water or stock.
2. Caramelize the onions
Caramelizing onions is a pain, it takes forever and is very finicky. But when it works it’s magic.
Chop the onions, and cook them over low heat in olive oil for 30-45 minutes.
Stir and watch closely, they burn very quickly, as you can see in the pic below.
3. Roast the cauliflower and pre-bake the potatoes
You can deep fry if you’d like, but roasting or air frying works equally well.
Remove the cauliflower core with a sharp knife, then pick off the florets by hand. This is the cleanest and easiest way to go.
Roast at 375°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Slice the potatoes into half inch thick slices. Splash some olive oil and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes.
3. Brown and par-cook the chicken
Heat a Dutch oven on medium high with a table spoon of olive oil.
Brown the chicken pieces skin down for 5-7 minutes until the skin is brown.
Work in batches until complete.
Return the chickens to the pot, add a cup of water, drop the heat to medium, cover the pot and simmer for 15 minutes.
Move the chicken to a plate.
4. Layer the ingredients and cook
Slice the tomatoes, and line them on the Dutch oven, then layer the potatoes.
Wash the rice and drop half of it in the pot.
Layer the cauliflowers with the chicken.
Add the turmeric, salt, pepper and cardamom, and cinnamon stick.
Wrap the cardamom and cinnamon stick in a cheesecloth to make fishing them out easier.
Add the garlic cloves.
Add the rest of the rice.
Top with the water (or stock), make sure it covers all the rice. If it doesn’t, add half a cup at a time until it does.
Set the oven at 350°F, cover the Dutch oven and cook for 30 minutes, raise the temperature to 450°F and cook for another 10 minutes.
Remove for the oven and let rest covered for at least 30 minutes.
5. Flip and eat
Wear good oven mitts, remove the lid, and place a large pan on the Dutch oven.
With one hand above the pan, and the other below the pot. Perform a quick flip and set the pan on the table.
Be very careful here, many have lost their food to the floor while performing this feat.
if you are uncomfortable, you can spoon out into serving bowls, but that is the feeble way.
Slowly remove the pot to reveal your creation.
Serve with salad or yogurt, and Eat!
HAPPY LABOR DAY TO ALL
Gorgeous! 🤯