Cuban-style mojo chicken with roasted roots and cauliflower rice

Some weeks the kindest thing you can do for your body is to decide once and eat well 4 times. That is what this dish is for. You marinate, you roast, you pack 4 containers, and the question of what to eat is already answered on a day when the day gets away from you.

This is a full plate of medicine. The chicken thighs give you protein and zinc, which is involved in immune regulation and in repairing the gut barrier. The orange roots, beets, carrots, and parsnips are a source of beta-carotene and polyphenols that feed a healthier gut community, and the citrus and fresh cilantro bring brightness without a single nightshade. The marinade leans on lime, orange, garlic, and oregano the way traditional mojo leans on sour orange, so you lose nothing in flavor.

The chicken thighs came from an animal, and packing them into 4 containers is a small way of honoring that, using the meat well and wasting nothing. Before you eat, take a breath and look at the color on the plate, the deep red of beet against gold parsnip. A few seconds of noticing settles the nervous system, and the state you eat in is part of how the food serves you.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• juice of 1 orange
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more for the vegetables
• 1/2 pound beets
• 1/2 pound carrots
• 1/2 pound parsnips
• 1 head cauliflower, about 2 pounds
• 2 tablespoons coconut, olive, or avocado oil

Method

Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, orange juice, cilantro, garlic, oregano, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken thighs to a sealed bag with the marinade and refrigerate at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. Reserve any marinade that drains off when you take the chicken out, you will pour it over the vegetables.

Heat the oven to 400 F. Lay the chicken skin-up in a lined roasting pan. Peel and dice the beets, carrots, and parsnips small, so they finish at the same time as the chicken, and scatter them around the thighs. Pour the reserved marinade over everything and salt the vegetables. Roast 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F and the roots are tender. Cut the roots small. Large pieces lag behind the chicken and stay firm.

While that roasts, make the cauliflower rice. Break the cauliflower into florets and pulse them in a food processor in batches, about 10 seconds each, until they are the size of rice grains. Stop before it turns to paste. Warm the oil in a skillet over medium heat and saute the cauliflower 8 to 10 minutes until tender, salting to taste.

To pack: spread cauliflower rice in the base of each of four containers, set a chicken thigh on top, and divide the roasted roots among them. Refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze up to 4 months.

Air fryer variation

The chicken thighs and the diced roots both crisp well in an air fryer if you would rather not heat the oven. Air fry the marinated thighs skin-up at 380 F for about 18 to 22 minutes, until they reach 165 F internally, and air fry the diced roots in a single layer at 380 F for about 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the basket once or twice, until tender at the edges. Cook the cauliflower rice on the stovetop as written. Air fryer times are an untested conversion here, so check for doneness and adjust.

*Adapted from asquirrelinthekitchen.com*