halal guys chicken & rice

When I first moved to NYC and had NEGATIVE ZERO dollars I always use to get chicken & rice from the Halal Guys cart…well actually, any cart that sold it. I don’t care what anybodyyyyy says, that sh*t smells soooo good! Like even to this day when I walk pass a cart (or when the world was open), whenever I got a whiff of that chicken my mouth watered lol.

I was researching about the white sauce because it has a super distinct taste and I think this comes super close and the chicken is filled with lots of garlic & ginger…my shitttt! I added shredded lettuce & tomatoes just like the street carts with lots of hot sauce and it was amazing!

Try it below!

Note: This time I roasted my chicken breasts since I only had bone in but below is a recipe for cubed chicken breasts or chicken thighs, which I liked this version better.

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken breasts cutlets or chicken thighs, cubed into bite size pieces

4-5 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

1 tablespoon ginger, freshly minced or finely grated

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon or so cumin (I always use more)

1 teaspoon or so coriander (I always use more)

1 lemon, juiced & zested

salt & pepper

White Sauce

1/2 cup mayo

1/2 cup whole greek yogurt

1/2 lemon juiced

a little bit of white sugar (about 1/2 teaspoon or more)

1 tablespoon white vinegar

salt to taste

olive oil & unsalted butter for cooking the chicken (the butter adds some richness to it)

Garnish

yellow basmati rice (I added turmeric, a little cumin & a pinch of cardamom to the rice but this is optional)

diced tomatoes

shredded iceberg lettuce

lots of hot sauce

Directions

The marinade: Generously season the cubed chicken breasts or chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, lemon, ginger & garlic and massage the chicken to make sure all the marinade is distributed. It’s best to let marinate for a day but at least 5-6 hours (before you get started with your work day).

The White Sauce: Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together until it’s the desired consistency. If you want the sauce more tangy, up your amount of vinegar or lemon juice. Sugar is the key to this! The sauce should be able to be “drizzled” on top of your chicken & rice, that’s the consistency your looking for.

When your chicken is ready to be cooked. In a wide saute pan or cast iron pan add some olive oil & butter on medium heat. Cook the chicken until done, about 5-8 minutes. Since the chicken is already cubed, the chicken will cook quick.

Serve your chicken over yellow basmati rice, iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and drizzle lots of white & don’t skip the hot sauce!

ENJOY!