Better than the original Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice, this recipe delivers a version that comes together to create a party in your mouth. It is also, incidentally, a great dish to serve at a party!
Not a Copycat
For those of you familiar with New York this recipe was originally meant to be a copycat of the Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice that is found at the corner of 53rd and 6th. I first had it when I was in university and like all college kids absolutely adored the flavors, serving size and price tag.
Here’s the thing though – I don’t remember how that particular one tastes. What I have had more recently is the chain version, purportedly from the same people, and it's just okay. Blog friends who have made this recipe and then gone to NYC and had the original one say this is far better and I happily believe them.
Flavor Profile of this Chicken and Rice
What makes this Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice extraordinarily fun is that it has so many layers of flavour.
There is the buttery yellow cumin scented rice, the garlicky chicken with its hit of oregano, the cool garlic-dill sauce and the fiery harissa inspired hot sauce.
Before I go onto the recipe here’s a quick shout out to my friend Maryam who first brought this recipe to my attention and recommended this combination of recipes for the different components. This recipe went viral across facebook groups when the word viral itself was not as common as it is today.
A Note on Sauces
The chicken and rice recipes are often a variation on a theme. While, after having tried a handful, I am quite firm that this version is the best there is, what truly sets this recipe apart are the sauces.
On their own they're good, but together they are phenomenal.
The white sauce get it's signature flavor from the balance between creamy, salt, acid and that fresh tang of dill.
The red sauce relies on a surprising ingredient - caraway seeds aka shahi zeera - for it's depth. This recipe is plenty plenty spicy for me and you can mix the red sauce into your plate according to your preference. I typically serve them on the side so that kids and adults are happy!
Made this dish? Review it below! I always love to hear from you!
Better than Halal Guys Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup light olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ pound chicken breast/boneless thigh diced into 1.5 inch cubes
- Generous dollop yogurt – I used greek since I had it on hand for the white sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
Rice:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
- 3 ½ cups chicken broth low sodium
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
ER’s White Sauce:
- 10 oz. Greek yogurt
- ½ c. mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp. white vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1.5 Tbsp. lemon juice ½ lemon
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1-2 tsp dill dry or fresh
- 1 tbsp cold water
- Salt to taste
Harissa (Spicy Sauce):
- 10-12 dried red chili peppers (or 2tbsp chilli flakes)
- 7 cloves garlic minced
- ¾-1 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1.5 teaspoon caraway seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tbsp vinegar/lemon juice
- Iceberg Lettuce cut into large chunks for serving
Instructions
- Iceberg Lettuce cut into large chunks for serving
For the Chicken
- Combine all the ingredients – minus the chicken in a blender. Blend, taste, season, and marinade the chicken in this mix for 1-4 hours.
- FIrst Method: On a grill pan or a grill, 2-3 minutes on each side, don't overcook!
- Second Method: Cook in a saucepan till tender. The when it's time to eat spread it out on a lightly greased foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with a little oil and broil for 2-3 minutes to char.
For the Rice:
- Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven.
- 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.
- After 15 minutes check on it, if the rice has not cooked through then add a splash of water and continue to let it cook tightly covered.
White Sauce:
- Whisk all the ingredients together. Taste, adjust seasoning.
Harissa:
- Soak the dried chilies in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain and deseed. Use your kitchen shears to snip the chillies into a small food processor (I used my magic bullet) and blitz with the olive oil.
- Then add the remaining ingredients and blend to form a smooth paste. Taste – adjust seasoning if necessary, mine was pretty spicy so I used it in moderation.
Putting it Together
- When you’re ready to eat then plate your rice, top with chicken, drizzle with white sauce, serve the hot sauce on the side or drizzle it across the top as well. Add some iceberg on the side and enjoy. Mmmmm…
SM says
Hi - excited to try to make this for the first time. For the white sauce what do you mean by crushed cloves? Would it be ok to mince the garlic and then blend everything?
Sarah Mir says
Yes absolutely! I actually have a garlic press so I use that and then just stir it all together!
Agnes says
Good recipe!
Sarah Mir says
Thank you Agnes!!!
Annum says
Made this for my family tonight and my 5 year old declared “can you make this every day mama? It’s so good!”
My husband loved it too!!
Thank you for putting this yummy recipe out there!!
My one question is around the hot sauce - when I first blitz with the dried chillies, how much oil should I use? I wonder if I didn’t use enough cuz my hot sauce was more of a paste (flavour was still terrific!)
Sarah Mir says
Your five year old is a kid after my own heart! thank you!!! On the sauce, it definitely is thick. I did thin it out to drizzle over the plate here and I forgot to add that as a note but I will now, good catch!
Afsheen Hameed says
I made the rice last night to go with my own sheet-pan chicken shawarma, and it was just perfect.. as are all of your recipes! Thanks again! 👌
You are our family’s go-to for the yummiest, most reliable recipes!
Mariam says
Trying it again today. What are caraway seeds?
Sarah Mir says
shahi zeera! keep me posted!
Sana says
This Chicken and Rice recipe is a fantastic way to recreate the iconic flavors of New York City’s halal street food at home. The dish delivers a perfect balance of juicy, marinated chicken, aromatic rice, and creamy, tangy white sauce with a kick of spice from the harissa.
Sarah Mir says
Sana!!! Thank you so so much for this beautiful review!
Asma Fatima says
Tried it today for iftar and it came out perfect. I’m sure it’s going to be a staple in our house from today.
Sarah Mir says
Thrilled to hear that Asma! Thank you so very much!
Momina mubin says
what is caraway seeds?
Sarah Mir says
Shahi zeera 🙂
Mehwish Fatima says
This is a lovely recipe! My son had been wanting to eat halal style chicken and rice and this recipe hit the spot.
Sarah Mir says
Woohoo! This is one of our all time favorites and so I am so happy to hear that!
Teddy says
I made this last night for my family. Everything turned out really well.
I grilled the chicken thighs whole for that essential char before chopping them up.
The caraway seeds in the harissa add the flavor I’ve been chasing for this sauce.
Sarah Mir says
Oooh I LOVE that you grilled them and I absolutely agree with you on how the caraway seeds give great flavour!
Hafsa says
Hello! I had a question- if for chicken broth I am using the cubes (that are pretty salty to begin with - the knorr Pakistani ones) should I reduce the amount of broth so it’s not super salty ?
Sarah Mir says
Hey Hafsa! I think I use a cube and a half here!
Sarah Mir says
That amount with this much water works for me
Apurva Desai says
Thank you, this was a hit at our annual summer party! I made nine pounds of this chicken ; it turned out beautifully AND tasted amazing. You’ve nailed this one.
Sarah Mir says
Yay! This is probably my favourite recipe on the blog and one I make often for parties too! Thrilled it worked for you!
Laila says
Hey
I happened across this recipe while looking for Chicken Pulaou recipe I thought I'd let you know that the Halal Bros on 53rd st have completely changed their recipe for the worse it is so bad I had to throw it out. I used to drive an hour to get this food sadly they "killed it " I'm glad I found your recipe I'm going to try it.
Best
Laila
Sarah Mir says
Hey laila - that makes me so sad! I hear the restaurants in the GTA are no good, but I was hoping the original was still great!
Humaira says
Going to try this today. This looks amazing. Thank you for sharing Sarah!
Sarah Mir says
Ooh I am SO glad! It's a family favourite! Let me know what you think 🙂
rochelle says
would it be ok to use dried oregano if the fresh one isn't available? if yes ,can you advise on the quantity please?
Sarah Mir says
Hi Rochelle! This is one of those recipes where fresh is truly best but if it isn't available then 2 teaspoons of dried works!