Peel the eggplants and slice them into rounds. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Wash the chicken thighs well and place them in a pot with water over heat to boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.

Add the aromatics, sugar, and salt. The sugar helps the chicken cook faster. Let it boil until the chicken is fully cooked.

Heat the oil in a deep pot. Once hot, fry all the eggplant slices until golden.

Rinse the rice and soak it in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse well. After draining, add the mixed spice and salt to taste, and mix well.

To assemble the maqluba: Once the chicken is cooked, remove the meat from the bones and shred it.

Slice the carrots into rounds and layer them at the bottom of your pot. This step is optional; you can use potatoes instead to prevent the eggplant from sticking when you flip the maqluba.

Repeat the layering without adding carrots to the next layers—just eggplant, chicken, and rice—until you use up all your ingredients.

Place a layer of fried eggplant over the carrots, then add some shredded chicken, followed by a layer of rice.

After finishing the layers, pour 4 cups of chicken broth over everything. Place the pot over heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and taste for salt. If needed, add a little more.