Now I can make one of my favorite things to eat in NYC at home with this Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice recipe.
I think I can actually use the word giddy to describe the way I felt when I found today’s recipe! I’ve shared a lot of recipes with you here over the years, over 2,000, and today’s recipe has to rate up there in the top ten for the “most excited to share with you” award!!
This last year I’ve made quite a few trips to NYC to visit my daughter who is living there and I’ve shared those adventures here on the blog with you, including my favorite places to eat in NYC.
One of my favorite places to eat in NYC, a place I eat every time I go to NYC, is not a fancy restaurant but a food cart – the Halal Guys. You will see Halal food carts all over the city but they are not all created equally. Tessa assured us we had to visit the one just across the street from the museum at 53rd and 6th. It is just down the street from Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. I fell in love and crave it non stop when I’m home in Portland and dream about the next time I can go to NYC and enjoy it again!
Now I can make it at home and enjoy it anytime the craving hits!!
When I came across the recipe on Serious Eats I couldn’t wait to make it. I headed right to the store to buy the ingredients I needed and had it for dinner that night. I was pretty much in heaven. I even had to serve it in a foil cake pan like they do in NYC.
You start by marinading your chicken. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs but if you are opposed to thigh meat use chicken breasts instead. The chicken is marinaded in a combination of lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic and salt and pepper. Be sure and set some of the marinade aside to add back into the cooked chicken later.
After the chicken marinates for a few hours I cooked it in my cast iron pan and then chopped it up. Add in that reserved marinade and any drippings in the pan to the chopped meat.
The rice is also an important part of the whole experience. It is made with turmeric and cumin. If turmeric is a spice you don’t usually have on hand, go buy some or borrow from a neighbor. It gives the rice that pretty yellow color and some good flavor. You toast the rice in the spices until it is lightly toasted.
But the crowning glory of this dish is the white sauce – YOU MUST HAVE THE WHITE SAUCE! The white sauce is made with mayo, greek yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and parsley and you are going to want to eat it by the spoonfuls, all by itself!!
In addition to the rice and white sauce, add in some chopped lettuce and tomato and of course a side of naan bread. I bought mine at Costco and warmed it in the oven but you can always make it from scratch too – here is a recipe I’ve used.
Have I conveyed to you how much I love this stuff – it is seriously like crack!
Head to the store now, don’t stop, make this for dinner, thank me later!
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 garlic cloves roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (6 to 8 thighs)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To serve:
- 1 head iceberg lettuce shredded
- 1 large tomato chopped
- Pita bread or naan bread warmed
- Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender and blend until smooth and well combined.
- Season the marinade to taste with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and add half of the marinade (reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator).
- Turn the chicken to coat, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade Do not marinate for longer than 4 hours. If need to wait longer, remove chicken from mariade and pat dry and refrigerate until ready to use.
- When ready to use, season with salt and pepper, going heavy on the pepper.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes.Turn the chicken and reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the center of each thigh registers 165°F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes longer.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- Chop the chicken into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the remaining marinade, cover loosely with plastic, and refrigerate while you cook the rice and prepare the sauce.
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large heavy pan. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, and 2 teaspoons black pepper. Whisk to combine. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Return chicken, reserved marinade, and all pan juices to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through. To serve, divide the rice, lettuce, tomato, and toasted pita bread evenly among four to six plates. Pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with the white sauce. Serve immediately. Have extra sauce on hand!
Recipe fromSerious Eats
Be sure and visit some of my other NYC posts to see more of my favorite things to do and places to eat.
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I have everything to make this except rice (I usually only have short grain on hand) but it looks like HEAVEN so I’m throwing it on the menu for tomorrow -maybe still today if I can locate some other rice buried in my pantry 😀 I am a faithful follower of your blog, and enjoy your posts very much. Thanks for all the fun recipes and ideas!
Hope you love it too! It’s totally worth a trip to the store to get the long grain rice!!
I used brown rice and it turned out delicious. I bet you could get away with short grain.
So I made this the other night for company, and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it. I do want to try the chicken recipe you used, but this time around I used a heavily spiced Indian chicken rub from another recipe. Everything else was as written. The rice was yummy, but I think I’ll add some sautéed onions next time. The sauce is truly what made this dish! I doubled the recipe to feed 8 adults. We had almost no sauce left! Everyone kept asking for seconds … and thirds … Definitely a keeper recipe!
Kat, So glad you enjoyed it.
Now you have me in a lather to make this. Perfect for Wednesday night when my stepson comes to dinner. Thank you!
Making this for company next weekend. Can’t wait.
Oh, I also meant to say congrats on your almost 13 million Bread in a Bag views. That is PHENOMENAL and you deserve it! Can’t wait to make this bread with my little 8 year old friend.
This looks great! I am going to try it next week. I am Vegan but my family is not, so I love getting ideas from your blog what to make them for dinner. Some of your meals I am able to Veganize for myself. Keep all your amazing recipes coming!!
I made this last night and had my Daughter and Son-in-lay to eat it with us. It was a great hit. Everyone loved it and it was pretty easy to make. Then for dinner tonight we ate the rest, perfect for one last meal. Thanks
Gloria, Yeah!!! Glad you enjoyed it too.
I haven’t been this excited to try a new recipe in a long time. Thanks so much for the share; I can’t wait to try it this week!!
We made this the other night and my entire family, most of whom are very picky eaters, loved it! The only downside was that it took a long time to make. Are there parts of this meal that could be made ahead or even frozen ahead? We want to put this in our dinner rotation, but it might have to be a weekend meal. Thanks for a delicious recipe that appealed to all of us!
Jani, It is not a quick meal but so worth the effort! The rice could definitely be made ahead of time and frozen and you could put the chicken in the marinade and freeze it and then just thaw cook it up. I wouldn’t make the white sauce ahead though.
This was SO GOOD! I texted the recipe to my parents and sister and told them they should go get the ingredients RIGHT NOW and make themselves a second dinner. I loved the dish as is, but I will also use this chicken recipe to make a shawarma soon. I used more lemon than it called for and cooked the chicken a bit longer, but otherwise made it as written.
Angela, I am so glad!! It is a new family favorite at our house too.
You are my hero! This is literally my favorite place to eat in NYC! I travelled to NY for work all the time and always stayed on 53rd at either the Hilton or Sheraton and got to know these guys by name before the crazy lines started and everyone caught on! Can’t wait to try this recipe and surprise my hubby!
Amy, I couldn’t handle having to wait until my next trip to NYC to enjoy this yumminess again! Hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do.
I haven’t been to NYC in 10 years and I still get a craving for this fantastic dish!! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy, it’s so yummy!!
I found this recipe about 3 weeks ago, I have made it 6 times already! Everybody in my house absolutely loves it!
Tammy, So glad you love it as much as we do. I can’t get enough of it either.
Hi Leigh Anne! Thank you so much for this post! I have been dreaming about this food cart for years now, but didn’t know what it was called to try to find the recipe.
But where is your recipe? I can’t find it on the post anywhere:(
I just see the ingredients list and then your narration. thanks!
I dream about this dish too! I’ve got the recipe fixed so it shows up now – thanks!
I don’t have greek yogurt, but I do have sour cream can i replace?
I’m trying to make this tonight, looks so yum!!
Sure, go ahead and use sour cream. Should work fine. We love this!
Thanks so much for your fast reply! We ended up using sour cream in place of Greek yogurt and it turned out fantastic!
Another note, my local grocery did not sell ground coriander so I substitute it for cumin instead.
This dish was the real deal, it was delicious! I no longer have to get on the train and travel to Manhattan for this dish.
Thanks so much for the recipe, definitely legit and a keeper!
Stephanie, Isn’t it the best!! I’m headed to NYC in May but so glad I don’t have to wait until then to enjoy it again!!
I was planning to make this for dinner tonight and my day is crazy busy! I’m wondering if I could just put the chicken thighs with the marinade in the crock pot? Then just shred/chop the chicken? Would this work okay?
Kate, I’ve never done it and it would definitely give the meat a different texture but it should work.
We loved this recipe! I was wondering if I could cook my rice in my instant pot and just adjust the amount of chicken broth. Could I do the first steps using the saute function and then add rice and broth and pressure cook?
Kathy, I am new to the Instant Pot and haven’t ever made rice in it so I’m not really sure. Sounds like a good thing to experiment with!
So far, I’ve only cooked brown rice in the instant pot and it is perfection! Super easy. You should try it. I have not experimented with any variations of plain rice, yet.
Thanks for sharing this. I made it this evening and it was excellent.
I just made it this week too – it’s a favorite around here. Glad you enjoyed it.
Wow tried this with jasmine rice
So good!
We just went to visit NYC. Great city and lots of lots of tourists. Great places to eat and cheap. We were there for 11 days and we ate at least one time from these Hala food carts which are everywhere at the corner in Manhattan. They serve almost same food in each cart. I liked the chicken on rice and lamb on rice. These dishes are awesome. Not favorite of their sauces, the white and red. Be carefull of the person serving you food. Tell him to wash his hand first.
Thank you and keep posting delicious recipes.
Just made this for dinner last night, and it was absolutely delicious! I felt like I should take a bow after dinner!!!
Marcy – definitely take a bow – this stuff is a total winner. So glad you loved it as much as we do!!