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As someone born and raised in NYC, halal cart chicken over rice is a classic. The chicken is flavorful on top a bed of yellow rice with salad on the side. You’ll love this copycat recipe as it’s super easy to make.
A NYC Staple
I love street food. Growing up in NYC I loved and still love going to the halal cart stands. I have fond memories of getting chicken over rice after school. As I got to the clubbing age, after a long night out this was the go to meal.
There are halal carts all over the city. I used to even work near the original Halal Guys cart in midtown. This recipe truly reminds me of the city I call home and the diverse food available.
How to make halal cart chicken over rice
To make this wonderful dish you’ll need to first start to make the yellow rice. In a small pot add the rice and spices. Turmeric and chicken bouillon are a must to make the rice fragrant and flavorful. Sometimes I will add diced onions into the rice as well.
While the rice is cooking, make the chicken. I like to get halal chicken for this recipe. You could marinate the chicken before hand, but everything is so flavorful in this dish, it really isn’t necessary. Season the chicken with garam masala, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper and lemon.
The last component and really the most important is the white sauce. It’s a combination of mayo, greek yogurt dill, vinegar and garlic powder. Feel free to use minced garlic if you’d like.
The full recipe with measurements is on the recipe card below.
Absolutely! Anyone can eat halal chicken. Halal meat is raised and butchered in a specific way and there must be a prayer said before the slaughtering. This way the meat is okay to eat in accordance with Islam.
Halal Cart Chicken Over Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 2 3/4 cups water
- 2 pounds chicken thighs, halala, boneless skinless
- 1 1/2 teaspoon garam massala
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 lemon, juice
- 1/2 onion, medium, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon of dill
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a pot add the rice, turmeric, butter, chicken bouillon and water over high heat.
- Once boiling cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking cut fat off chicken thighs and cut into bite sized pieces, about 1/2 an inch. Place into a bowl and season with garam masala, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, the juice of half the lemon. Mix together well.
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat with a bit of olive oil. Once the skillet is hot add in the chicken. After 5 minutes add in the onions and stir occasionally .Cook for another 5 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking make the white sauce. Combine the mayo, yogurt, vinegar, a pinch of salt, garlic powder, a pinch of pepper, the juice of half a lemon and the dill in a small bowl and whisk together. It should be a somewhat thick yet runny and smooth consistency.
- Everything should be finished at this point. Plate with the rice first, chicken over top, lettuce on the side and white sauce all over. Add your favorite hot sauce too if you’d like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
