Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce

Serious Eats has long been one of my favorite websites for food news, reviews, and recipes. It's one of the websites that inspired me to start blogging nearly four years ago and I turn to it often for inspiration. At the end of last year, Serious Eats published their first cookbook and did a series of posts on some of the recipes. This one caught my eye immediately. It's been a while since I've been to New York, but I have vivid memories of these Halal carts, even though I never had a chance to try them.  It's good to know I can have this deliciousness without having to fly all the way to New York. The chicken is savory and flavorful while the rice has a slight warmth. The sauce at first taste, may seem too sweet, but really works when mixed with the rice and chicken and cools everything down. I didn't have any Harissa on hand so I used Nando's peri peri sauce which worked well. I have a major aversion to iceberg lettuce so I used butter lettuce which added that nice crunch. I will definitely be making this again when I get a craving for street food at home.





One year ago: 8oz Burger Bar
Two years ago: Asian Turkey Cabbage Cups
Three years ago: Greek Turkey Burgers


Serious Eats' Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce
(Adapted from Serious Eats)

Makes 6-8 servings

*Note: The original recipe says not to marinate the chicken for more than four hours or it will turn mushy. I marinated for two hours

For the chicken:
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
5 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (8 thighs)
1 tablespoon canola oil

For the rice:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
1 head butter lettuce, shredded
1 tomato, diced
Pocketless pita bread, brushed in butter, toasted, and cut into strips
Hot sauce

To make the chicken:
Whisk the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a large ziplock bag and add half of the marinade. Turn the chicken to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours. Reserve the other half of the marinade in a large bowl.

Remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for ten minutes, turning once, halfway through. It may be necessary to do this in batches. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let the meat rest for 5 minutes.

Chop the chicken into 1/2-inch chunks. Add the chicken to the bowl with the remaining marinade and toss to combine. Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

To make the rice:
Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook for about 4 minutes, until the rice is lightly toasted, stirring frequently. Add the chicken stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid has absorbed, 15-20 minutes.

To make the sauce:
Whisk together the mayo, Greek yogurt, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Return the entire contents of the chicken bowl to the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Serve the chicken on a pile of rice. Top with the white sauce and hot sauce. Serve with the lettuce, tomato, and pita strips.

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