Chicken and Rice, NY food-cart inspired

Whether you are a local or are visiting Manhattan, NY you pass tons of Halal food-cart with offering of Chicken or Lamb over rice. The most known one is the Halal cart at 53rd and 6th located in Midtown West. On any given night there is a long 45-minute wait just to get your aluminum tin full of yellow rice, chicken, and iceberg lettuce all drenched in "white sauce". I'm a huge fan of the food-cart food. It's smells good, taste good, and is only $6. But here's my dilemma. My meal in a box is heavy with grease and salt. While I am eating it I am thinking this is deliciousness, however afterward my body is hating me. So what do I do, attempt to create the famous meat dish with higher quality ingredients, less grease, and in the comfort of my own home versus standing awkwardly on the street eating.

The original Halal food-cart meal that inspired this recipe

My version of Chicken and Rice

My version of this food-cart meal has also chicken and rice, but rather than iceberg lettuce, I prefer greens with some tomato and cucumber as I find iceberg lettuce to lack in favor. The white sauce that I created also uses a mayonnaise base, which is what the "white sauce" taste like to me. However, I find that when I have eaten other Mediterranean dishes they tend to be more yogurt base so I have combine the two to end up with a sauce that is lighter but does not deviate too much from what I have seen other addicted to. The chicken that I have created uses a yogurt based marinate and I use chicken with bones in it as I find them to be more flavorful. However, after the chicken have fully cooked on the stove, I chopped the chicken on a cutting board, add more marinate and then break it up some more on the stove top to mimic the way the chicken is cooked on the cart.  I think this version tastes just as good if not better. In addition, cutting back on the oil and salt makes it easier to move around and enjoy the rest of your night afterwards.

NY Style Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

Chicken

8 chicken thighs, fat-trimmed

1 tsp turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground coriander

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil, for cooking

Rice

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup long-grain rice

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

White Sauce

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp white or red wine vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Directions:

Marinate and cooking the chicken 
1. In a bowl, combine all the spices for the chicken, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and yogurt. Mix thoroughly. Put aside 1/4 cup of marinate for later. 
2. Add the chicken thighs and cover in marinate. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator.
3. Let marinate 3 hours to overnight. The longer you let the meat marinate, the more favor that will infuse. 
4. When ready to cook, in a skillet heat up olive oil over medium-high heat. About 2-3 tablespoon is sufficient.

5. Add chicken to the hot skillet and cook chicken. About 5-8 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

6. When chicken has slightly cooled, chopped the chicken to small pieces. Add the remaining marinate and mix thoroughly. 

7. Heat up the skillet again and return the chicken to the pan. Using the edge of the spatula, chopped the chicken into smaller pieces.

Yellow Rice

1. In a saucepan, heat up olive oil and butter.
2. Add the turmeric and cumin and sauté to bring out the flavor. Do not let the spice burn.
3. Add the rice to the pan and brown the rice. Be sure to turn often to not burn the rice.
4. Add the chicken broth to the rice. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
5. When rice is done add the chopped parsley.

White Sauce

1. Mix all ingredients. Blend until smooth.

Serve the chicken and rice with a side salad. The food-cart serves you iceberg lettuce, but I like to follow a more Mediterranean style salad made of greens, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I would also recommend Greek olives, chopped parsley, and feta cheese with your salad. Drizzle the white sauce all over your plate and viola food-cart food at home.