Halal Cart Chicken

If you’ve ever visited New York City you would have likely noticed the abundance of street cart vendors lined up along those main roads in Manhattan selling all kinds of goodies. While it may seem like a gamble to eat at them, they are an institution for NY cuisine. One of the most famous styles of food from the NYC Street Carts is Halal Cart Chicken. This wonderful Chicken and Rice dish is loaded with Middle Eastern spices and packs a true punch of flavor. They’re so affordable for how much food you get, and they taste so good!

In this recipe we’ll show you how to recreate the amazing NY Style Halal Cart Chicken at home. So, if you’re craving that authentic NY street cart dining experience, or even living in NY and want to give it a go yourself at home, we highly recommend trying out this simple and tasty recipe

How to make Halal Cart Chicken at home

This is such an easy meal to make and has become a dish that’s on high rotation in the household of Dinnertime Somewhere. There are three components to the dish that are all very easy to make. Those are; marinating and preparing the Chicken, cooking up some fragrant Rice, and making a delicious and refreshing Yoghurt Sauce topping

Along with those three components is a simple step of preparing some sliced Lettuce, Red Onion, and Tomatoes to complete the dish. The whole thing is served together in one bowl. If you want a truly authentic Halal Cart Chicken experience, then by some take out containers and stuff the whole dish into one of those! Then, eat the dish standing up on the side of a road somewhere! Actually, forget that, enjoy this dish in the comfort of your home!

Begin by marinating the Chicken

We use Chicken Thighs for the ultimate flavor for this dish. Add them to a large bowl or (preferably) a large Ziploc bag and add Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Ground Coriander, finely diced Garlic, Salt, and Pepper. Mix everything through so the Chicken is well coated and then leave it to marinade

For the best result we recommend marinating overnight in the refrigerator. Up to 24 hours is optimal, so if you can, prepare the dish the night before. Otherwise, a minimum of 2 hours marinating time is preferable to allow those delicious flavors to get into the Chicken

Once ready to cook, allow the Chicken to come up to room temperature before pan frying over a medium high heat until charred and cooked through. Frying should take about 8 – 10 minutes, turning once. When the Chicken reaches 160F it’s ready. Remove and allow to rest before dicing into bite-sized pieces

Prepare the Rice

You can either cook the Rice while the Chicken is cooking, or cook and set it aside before you begin frying up the Chicken. The goal is to try and have everything ready at once, so if you can, I recommend making the Rice while the Chicken hits the frying pan

Unlike regular Steamed Rice, Halal Cart Chicken Rice is flavored with spices. For our recipe we use a combination of Ground Cumin, and Turmeric. Melt some Butter in a frying pan over medium high heat then add the spices and Rice

Mix it all through until fragrant (about 1 minute) and then add the Water. Bring to a boil and then drop to a simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Then, remove the pot from the heat but keep the lid on and sit for a further 15 minutes. The residual heat in the pot will continue to cook the Rice

Once cooked, season with Salt and then mix well with a wooden spoon. If you’ve timed it right the Rice will be done just as your Chicken has finished rested. Otherwise, simply prepare it in advance and allow it to sit, partially covered, on the stovetop

The final Step – a delicious Yoghurt Sauce

A hallmark characteristic of Halal Cart Chicken is the Yoghurt Sauce. Flavored with Lemon and Garlic, it’s heaped onto the plate of Chicken and Rice before being sealed up and served to the hungry customers

We use a simple combination of Greek Yoghurt, Lemon Juice, finely diced Garlic and Salt for our Sauce. Mix it all through and taste for seasoning. You can adjust the Lemon Juice quantities to your preference. We recommend keeping it quite tart, as the Yoghurt Sauce plays a critical role in cutting through the richness of the Chicken

Serving

With your three main components done the dish is ready to serve. I like to lay a heaping bed of Rice into a bowl and top it with Lettuce, Red Onion, and Tomatoes, before heaping on the Chicken. Finish the plate with a generous dollop of Yoghurt Sauce and it’s ready to eat

Now, an optional step to this dish, but one we feel is mandatory is the inclusion of Chili Sauce. It’s a classic final touch to Halal Cart Chicken, and a homemade version simply wouldn’t be complete without out. No need for anything fancy, supermarket Hot Chili Sauce will do the trick

For some added carbs, try heating up a few slices of Pita Bread in the oven or stovetop and serve them alongside your Chicken for a truly hearty and delicious meal

Halal Cart Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Chicken Thighs
• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Juice of 2 Lemons
• 1 tsp. Ground Coriander
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• 1 ½ tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
• 4 cups of Shredded Romaine Lettuce
• 3 Large Tomatoes, sliced or diced
• ½ Red Onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp. Chili Sauce
• Pita Bread (optional)
  
  

Rice Ingredients

• 1 cup of Jasmine or Long Grain Rice
• ½ tsp. Cumin Powder
• ½ tsp. Turmeric
• 1 ½ cups of Water
• ½ tsp. Salt
  
  

Yoghurt Sauce Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. Greek Yoghurt
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• 3 Garlic cloves, finely diced
• ¼ tsp. Salt
  
  

Instructions

1. Place the Chicken in Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Ground Coriander, Garlic, Salt and Pepper in a Ziploc bag or large bowl. Refrigerate for 2 hours (preferably overnight) to marinade
2. Remove from refrigerator and leave at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
3. While the Chicken is coming up to room temperature, make the Rice by melting Butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the Rice, Ground Cumin, and Turmeric and stir constantly for 1 minute until fragrant
4. Add 1 ½ cups of Water and bring to a boil. Drop the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and continue to cover for 15 more minutes to completely cook the Rice. Season with Rice, stir through and then set aside
5. While the Rice is cooking, pan frying Chicken until completely cooked through (about 8 minutes on medium high, turning halfway through). Check internal temperature reaches 160F
6. Allow Chicken to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into bite-sized cubes
7. While the Chicken is resting, combine the Greek Yoghurt, Lemon Juice, Garlic, and Salt in a bowl to make the Yoghurt Sauce. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your preferences
8. Spoon a generous portion of Rice into a bowl and top with the Shredded Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Chicken pieces. Finish with Yoghurt Sauce and a drizzle of Chili Sauce. Serve with warm Pita Bread and enjoy
   
   

Recipe Notes

• We recommend marinating the Chicken overnight for the best possible flavor. At a minimum, marinate the Chicken for 2 hours before cooking
• You can serve the Chili and Yoghurt Sauce on the side if you prefer, allowing people to add to their plates as they like
  
  

This amazing Halal Cart Chicken recipe is a great representation of this classic NY Street Food dish. The flavors are intense, and it’s so addictive to eat that you can’t stop at just one bite

For more delicious Chicken recipes just like this one, check out these amazing recipes:

• Pineapple Chicken Stir Fry
• One Pot Coq au Vin
• Cast Iron Fried Chicken
• Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa
  
  

Happy Cooking!