Serves 1
Directions
- 1Combine plain whole milk yogurt, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, grated garlic, smoked paprika, turmeric, ground ginger, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper in a bowl and whisk.
- 2Add boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the marinade and mix well.
- 3Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
- 4Rinse long grain white rice.
- 5Combine the rinsed rice with chicken stock, butter, turmeric, cumin seeds, a bay leaf, a sprinkle of garlic powder, and salt in a rice maker.
- 6Cook the yellow rice in the rice maker.
- 7For the white sauce, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, a healthy splash of vinegar, minced garlic, dried dill, dried tarragon, a little sugar, and some salt and pepper.
- 8Check the consistency of the white sauce; if too thick, add a tiny sprinkle of water and mix.
- 9For the red sauce, add chile de arbol to a bowl and cover with warm water to soak and soften.
- 10Once softened, blend the chile de arbol with garlic, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, a splash of vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt.
- 11Give the red sauce a quick first blend, then add oil and continue blending.
- 12Add a little bit of water to the red sauce and continue blending to emulsify it into a uniform sauce.
- 13Heat a cast iron pan over high heat.
- 14Place the marinated chicken in the hot pan and weigh it down to get full surface contact, cooking until deep char is achieved.
- 15Flip the chicken and cook the other side until charred.
- 16Once cooked, rest the chicken off to the side, collecting any crispy bits.
- 17Toast pita bread in a dry pan.
- 18Shred lettuce, fluff it up, and toss it into an ice bath to get ultra cold and crispy.
- 19Cut tomatoes into nice even chunks and sprinkle with salt.
- 20Chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized cubes.
- 21Fluff the cooked yellow rice.
- 22Plate the yellow rice, followed by the charred chicken, then a mixture of ice-cold lettuce and tomatoes.
- 23Apply white sauce and red sauce generously over the plated chicken and rice.
Ingredients
- plain whole milk yogurt
- oil
- lemon zest
- lemon juice
- grated cloves of garlic
- smoked paprika
- turmeric
- ground ginger
- cumin
- coriander
- oregano
- pinch salt
- fresh cracked black pepper
- boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- long grain white rice
- chicken stock
- butter
- turmeric
- cumin seeds
- bay leaf
- sprinkle garlic powder
- salt
- mayonnaise
- yogurt
- lemon juice
- splash vinegar
- minced garlic
- dried dill
- dried tarragon
- sugar
- salt
- pepper
- sprinkle water
- chile de arbol
- garlic
- cayenne pepper
- smoked paprika
- splash vinegar
- sprinkle salt
- oil
- water
- pita
- lettuce
- ice
- tomatoes
- sprinkle salt
Equipment
plastic wraprice makersqueeze bottleblendercast iron pandry pan
Tips
- Yogurt in the marinade makes the chicken more tender.
- Rinsing long grain white rice prevents it from becoming gummy and sticky.
- Cooking yellow rice with chicken stock adds flavor.
- Emulsify the red sauce by adding a little water and continuing to blend.
- For chicken, aim for deep char, not just golden, as the sugars caramelize at high heat for flavor.
- Use an ice bath for lettuce to make it ultra cold and crispy, preventing sogginess.
- Cut chicken into bite-sized cubes as the meal is often eaten on the go.
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