Maqluba is a traditional Middle Eastern dish in Jordan and Palestine, consisting of layers of vegetables such as eggplant, potatoes, cauliflower, and tomatoes, along with chicken and rice cooked together in a pot and seasoned with different spices for a richer flavor. Once cooked, the pot is inverted onto a serving platter, creating a beautiful layered presentation with the meat on top, hence the name 'upside-down.' This dish is traditionally served with plain yogurt and Arabic Salad, which are important side dishes.
This recipe post was originally published in December 26 2022 and it was republished in April 30 2024.
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Maqluba is one of my favorite Jordanian food along with Mansaf since it brings back memories of my childhood in the Middle East. When I was still a child, my late Jordanian grandmother made this delicious dish for us during family gathering. Because I love this food so much, I am going to show how to make my grandmother’s chicken maqluba, a dish you’re sure to love.
Maqluba is not an easy recipe to make which is why it is traditionally served during special occasions such as family gatherings, weddings, Ramadan iftars, and even when hosting special guests. Nonetheless, this is a must-try dish since it is so popular in Jordan, Palestine and in Levantine cuisines. If you visit to Jordan or receive invitation from a Jordanian family, it is usually the most common dish to serve to our guest.
What is Maqluba?
The word "Maqluba" or “Maqlooba” (مقلوبة) comes from an Arabic word meaning "upside-down" or "inverted" which the term makes sense since upon serving, the pot is inverted onto a serving platter after cooking, resulting in the rice and vegetables forming a beautiful layered presentation. It is considered a full meal, since it already consists of vegetables, chicken and rice together in one pot.
What makes this food delicious is that the chicken is boiled along with the spices to enhance the flavor, producing a rich, savory broth for the rice. For some people, Maqluba is considered a heavy and oily dish because the vegetables and chicken are fried in oil before assembling into layers. However, this is what makes the food mouthwatering, as the rice is so moist that you don’t need any sauce or stew to feel satisfied
Of course, you will notice in every family, we traditionally serve this with yogurt & salad. The reason is because is that it is part of our cultural tradition, and because Maqluba is oily, yogurt will help aid our digestion since it contain probiotic
Ingredients and its Substitution
Spices: To make Maqluba spice, I am using Arabic 7 spice, also known as Baharat spice, which contains seven kinds of spices such as cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, nutmeg, and others. Additionally, I am also using cardamom pods, bay leaves, and turmeric powder. These spices will give a rich aromatic flavor to the broth when boiling the chicken.
Substitution Suggestion: If you don't have 7 spice / Baharat spice, you can use Garam Masala, which is an Indian mixed spice. They taste similar except that Garam Masala is mildly spicy.
Vegetables: I use three important vegetables for this recipe—potatoes, eggplants, and cauliflower. It is important to fry them first before adding them to the pot, as it gives a nice brown texture and helps keep the rice moist.
Meat: I am using chicken as my protein. I prefer drumsticks and thigh parts since they are tender and juicy.
Substitution Suggestion: You can use other meat like beef, mutton, or lamb if you prefer this over chicken.
Rice: I am using basmati rice, which is a type of long-grain rice common in the Middle East and India. The rice will be mixed with the spices and then set aside in preparation for assembling the Maqluba. Do not use short-grain or sticky rice as this will affect the texture of the Maqluba.
Substitution Suggestion: If you don’t have long-grain rice, you can use medium-grain rice or Egyptian rice.
Other Ingredients: You will also need cooking oil for frying the vegetables and chicken, tomatoes for layering, and water for making the broth and boiling the chicken.
Step by Step Instruction
I. Boiling & Seasoning the Chicken
- The first step is to prepare a large pot in which you will place the chicken and pour water for boiling. Once the chicken starts to boil, use a large spoon to remove any excess fat.
- Next, add the 7 spice, cardamon pods, bay leaves, turmeric, salt, and black pepper to the pot, and give it a slow stir. The chicken broth should have a slightly salty taste, as you will use it to pour over the rice and vegetables. Allow the chicken to boil for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is simmering, I washed the basmati rice for 3-4 times followed by soaking it in warm water for 30 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked, separate it from the broth and set it aside.
II. Frying the Vegetables and Chicken
- While the chicken is boiling, chop the cauliflower, sliced potatoes, and eggplant into long shapes. Heat vegetable oil in a separate pan to prepare for frying.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the potatoes first until it develops a light brown texture.
- Then, proceed with frying the cauliflower and then eggplants.
- Finally, fry the chicken in the pan until it is browned on both sides. Transfer everything to a plate and set it aside.
III. Assembling the Maqluba
- In preparation for the layers, I first mix the rice with the 7 spice, turmeric, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Set it aside.
- Using a new cooking pot, I brush it first with oil to prevent sticking, and then distribute the sliced tomatoes around it.
- For the second layer, I added the fried eggplant followed by the sliced potatoes.
- For the third layer, I added the cauliflower followed by the chicken.
- For the final layer, add the spiced rice, and then pour 4-5 cups of broth that I used to boil the chicken.
- Transfer the cooking pot to the stove in medium heat to let it boil.
- Once there is less water, adjust the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes before turning it off.
How to prepare and serve Maqluba?
To serve Maqluba, place a large plate on a table. Bring the pot to the plate and quickly turn it upside down. Slowly lift it up to reveal a beautiful layer of Maqluba.
When eating this delicious Jordanian chicken rice dish, it is commonly served with plain yogurt and Arabic salad. The yogurt provides a great condiment for this rice dish, while the salad serves as a healthy vegetarian side dish.
This rice dish is very delicious but can be a bit oily. Therefore, it is important to serve it with something healthier like Arabic Salad, Fattoush or Tabbouleh Salad.
These two side dishes are a must, and you cannot eat Chicken Maqluba without them.
STORING SUGGESTION: You can store the leftovers in an airtight container, where they will last for up to 5-6 days. I don’t recommend storing them in the freezer, as this can ruin the texture of the rice and make it soggy.
Tips and Hints
- You can bake the chicken and the vegetables in the oven instead of frying them. This option is healthier since you don't need to use oil.
- If you are using a nonstick pot, place sliced tomatoes first on the bottom of the pot before adding the other vegetables and the rice. This will help prevent sticking in the pot.
- When boiling the chicken or any meat, make sure you season the broth with spices, and it must be slightly salty. You will be using it to cook the rice along with the rest of the ingredients. Otherwise, the taste of the rice will be under seasoned.
- Before frying the chicken, make sure to dry it thoroughly to prevent oil splashing.
- Because eggplant absorbs too much oil, soak it in salt water for 30 minutes. After that, gently squeeze it to release the juice. In this process, when I fry the eggplant, it will not absorb too much oil.
Troubleshoot Questions
1. Why is my Maqluba underseasoned?
If your maqluba is under seasoned, you haven't added enough spices to both the rice and broth. When tasting the chicken and the rice, they should have rich flavors of seven spice or baharat spice.
Additionally, you must add enough salt to both the broth and the rice so it will not be bland. I added both spices and salt when making the chicken broth and on the rice.
2. Why is my rice of the maqluba too dry?
If it is too dry, it means you haven't poured enough broth or water, and it might be overcooked.
In my experience, your rice might become dry if you only air-fried the vegetables and the chicken. I highly recommend frying them in oil instead, as this is what gives the moist texture to the maqluba.
Other Arabic Rice Recipes
📋 Recipe Card
Chicken Maqluba (Upside Down Chicken)
Equipment
- 1 Cooking Pot For assembling the chicken, rice and vegetables together
Ingredients
- 3 pieces of chicken leg quarters
- 2 medium-sized potatoes sliced
- 2 large eggplants sliced lengthwise into 3-4 inches pieces
- ¾ head of cauliflower
- 3 medium-sized tomatoes sliced
- 2 tablespoons of Arabic 7 spice Baharat spice
- 4 bay leaves
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 ½ teaspoons of turmeric powder
- 2 cups of Basmati rice
- 6 cups of water for broth and boiling chicken
- 1.5 tablespoon of salt 1 tablespoon for the broth, and ½ tablespoon for the rice
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper adjust to taste
- ⅓ cup of cooking oil for frying
Instructions
Boiling & Seasoning the Chicken
- Prepare a large pot for boiling the chicken with water. Remove any excess fat once the chicken starts boiling.
- Add the 7 spice, cardamom pods, bay leaves, turmeric, salt, and black pepper to the pot and give it a slow stir. The chicken broth should have a slightly salty taste as it will be used to pour over the rice and vegetables. Allow the chicken to boil for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is simmering, wash the basmati rice thoroughly for 3-4 times and soak it in warm water for 30 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked, separate it from the broth and set it aside.
Frying the Vegetables and Chicken
- While the chicken is boiling, chop the cauliflower, slice potatoes, and eggplant into long shapes. Heat vegetable oil in a separate pan for frying.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the potatoes first until they develop a light brown texture. Then, proceed to fry the cauliflower and eggplants.
- Finally, fry the chicken in the pan until it browns on both sides. Transfer everything to a plate and set it aside.
Assembling the Maqluba
- In preparation for the layers, the rice is mixed with the 7 spice, turmeric, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl, then set aside.
- Using a new cooking pot, it is brushed with oil first to prevent sticking, and then the sliced tomatoes are distributed around it.
- For the second layer, the fried eggplant is added, followed by the sliced potatoes.
- For the third layer, the cauliflower is added, followed by the chicken.
- For the final layer, the spiced rice is added, and then 4-5 cups of broth used to boil the chicken are poured over it.
- The cooking pot is transferred to the stove over medium heat to let it boil.
- Once there is less water, adjust the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes before turning it off.
- To serve Maqluba, place a large plate on a table. Bring the pot to the plate and quickly turn it upside down. Slowly lift it up to reveal the beautiful layers of Maqluba. Serve it with yogurt and Middle Eastern Salad.
Video
Notes
- Traditionally, it is garnished with pine nuts, but I am not doing that in my recipe since I am not a fan of having nuts in my rice.
- If you prefer a healthier version, you can grill or bake the vegetables and the chicken instead of frying them.
- Before frying the chicken, make sure you dry it with paper towel to prevent the oil from splashing.
- To prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil, soak it in salt water for 30 minutes, and then squeeze it after to release the excess the juice.
- Season the broth and the rice to make sure it doesn't taste bland when served.
We are always looking for new ways to use chicken and this looks amazing. Such great flavours.
Thanks Dannii. This is a very popular chicken dish in the Palestine, Jordan and other Middle Eastern countries.
Love all of the spices in this recipe! It makes it taste so rich and flavorful!
Thank you Anjali. This dish is not spicy but it is very tasty. I am sure you will love it
I don't recall making this dish at home, so that makes me really excited! Adding the recipe to my menu 🙂
You are going to love this jordanian chicken recipe. Let me know if you already made it.
I cannot wait to try this! The spices and flavors sound just incredible.
Oh, I need to make this for my dad! He used to live in the Middle East and this looks delicious!
Thanks Genevieve. I am sure your dad will love to try this dish.
This is my husband’s favorite dish from his home (Palestine)! I can’t wait to make this for him since I know he’s extremely home sick!
Hi Heidi. Thank you for your comment. It is also one of my favorite dishes from Kuwait since I was born there. When you migrate or live in other countries, you will surely miss the food. I am sure your husband will be please when you make this dish. Let me know if you make one 🙂
I had never had maqluba but always friends are talking about this dish so I decide to try. I found it to be pretty easy and it came out wonderfully... ty for this recipe... now I must try mansuf
Hi Sonya. Thank you for sharing your experience. Indeed it is a very delicious chicken rice dish. Mansaf is actually another jordanian meat dish, which is made from yogurt milk. I will definitely let you know if I will post a mansaf recipe here. Thanks again and take care.
This is an excellent recipe! I love makloubeh and always get it when I can, but I've never had homemade before until last night! Thank you for this authentic recipe. It was a bit laborious because of all the frying. Next time, I will try roasting all the veggies for a healthier option and to save time and I need to get my hands on some baharat. I used garam masala bc that's what I had on hand. My family was impressed by the authentic flavors and yummy textures. I'm sure frying everything added to the flavors too. I just needed a teeny bit more salt for my taste though. Still a 5-star imo. Thank you!
Hi Ian. Thank you for sharing your experience. I am pleased that you had a time to make maqluba recipe. And I am glad your family love it. You can actually use Garam Masala and it works fine. As a matter of fact, I sometime use Garam masala in this recipe if I ran out of other spices. You can roast or baked the vegetables in the oven instead of frying in the oil if you prefer healthier approach. It works perfectly for this dish. Thanks again and take care
This recipe is easy to follow and we really enjoyed the meal! I used an air fryer and a tablespoon of oil to brown the chicken. I also skimmed the oil from the chicken broth before adding it to the rice mixture. Love this comfort food!
Does the chicken have skin on or off?
I included the skin of the chicken. But, you can remove them if you prefer skinless chicken. It wouldn't make any difference.
Could boneless skinless chicken breast pieces be used?
Hi Mindy. Yes, you can use boneless and skinless chicken breast. It wouldn't make any difference since you the flavor from the stock
Do you cover with a lid once the water is fully absorbed?
Yes, but you need to adjust the fire in low heat because the bottom rice still needs to be cook.
my mom used to always make this food for us at home and I remember the work it took. since I had eggplants in the frigde that were almost going bad I decided to give it a try. took time since I baked everything but it is delicious! would definitely make again. thank you saif!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. In the whole recipe there is no information how process the rice. Because in your pictures where you are building up the maqluba with rice, veggies and chicken, it looks like your rice is already wet. Is this true or do you have any other instructions?
* I see in many recipes that they rinse the rice in water for 30 minutes.
Hi John. Thanks for your comment. If it is basmati rice, you will have to soak it for 30 minutes. But I am using medium grain rice or Egyptian rice since this is my variation of this recipe. Soaking is optional for this type of rice. I have edited the recipe ingredients and the post. Apologies for the confusion.
Regardless of the type of rice, you still need to wash and clean it 3 times to remove the excess starch. After that, you can mix it with the spices and set it aside in preparation for assembling the maqluba. Hope this helps.
I’ve been using this recipe for years now and it’s always amazing! Thanks for posting. My husband is Jordanian and I finally got to make maqlooba for his Jordanian family first iftar of Ramadan this year and they were all so impressed! It’s really flavorful and the measurements are perfect every time 😍
Thank you Emily. I am glad your husband and his family enjoyed it.