Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice

Halal cart-style chicken and rice is one of those meals my husband and I both love to order, so eventually I figured, why not make it at home? Once we started making it ourselves, it quickly became part of our regular rotation. We probably have it at least once a month now. The seasoned chicken, yellow rice, and creamy white sauce come together so well, and the best part is that it’s really easy to make. It looks like a lot going on, but none of it is complicated—and once you make it at home, you may find yourself ordering it a whole lot less.

Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 6

Ingredients

• Rice
• 4 cups basmati rice
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 to taste to 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 bay leaves
• Chicken
• 2 pounds chicken breast
• 0.25 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1.5 to taste salt, or
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 0.25 tsp turmeric
• Oil for cooking
• White Sauce
• 0.5 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon garlic paste
• 2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 0.5 tsp sugar
• 2–4 Tbsp water, to thin to the consistency you want

Instructions

White Sauce

Whisk together the mayonnaise, garlic paste, greek yogurt, black pepper, lemon juice, sugar, and enough water to reach your desired consistency. Mix until smooth, then refrigerate until ready to use.

Chicken

Slice and dice the chicken breast into cubes about 1 inch in size. Add the chicken breast cubes to a large bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and seasonings. Toss well so the chicken is evenly coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes or refrigerate overnight for better flavor.

Heat a little oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 4 minutes per side, until nicely browned. Reduce the heat, cover, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through.

Yellow Rice

Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs mostly clear, then drain well.

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Add the rice, chicken broth, turmeric, oregano, cumin, salt, and bay leaves to a rice cooker and use the white rice setting.

To prepare stovetop, after toasting rice add rice ingredients to a large pot, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for another 5 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and fluff the rice with a fork.

To Serve

Add the yellow rice to a plate or bowl and top with the chopped chicken. Add shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and cucumbers. Finish with plenty of white sauce and hot sauce if desired.

Tip: To make nice sauce lines over the finished dish, put sauce into a squeeze bottle.