# Halal Cart-Style Chicken And Rice

A recipe for making the iconic New York City street cart chicken and rice, complete with tender chicken, flavorful yellow rice, and two essential sauces: a tangy white sauce and a spicy red sauce.

- Cuisine: Indian
- Category: Drink
- Language: en

## 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

## Instructions

1. Combine 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.
2. Add boneless, skinless chicken thighs to the marinade and mix well.
3. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.
4. Rinse long grain white rice.
5. Combine the rinsed rice with chicken stock, butter, turmeric, cumin seeds, a bay leaf, a sprinkle of garlic powder, and salt in a rice maker.
6. Cook the yellow rice in the rice maker.
7. For 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.
8. Check the consistency of the white sauce; if too thick, add a tiny sprinkle of water and mix.
9. For the red sauce, add chile de arbol to a bowl and cover with warm water to soak and soften.
10. Once softened, blend the chile de arbol with garlic, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, a splash of vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt.
11. Give the red sauce a quick first blend, then add oil and continue blending.
12. Add a little bit of water to the red sauce and continue blending to emulsify it into a uniform sauce.
13. Heat a cast iron pan over high heat.
14. Place the marinated chicken in the hot pan and weigh it down to get full surface contact, cooking until deep char is achieved.
15. Flip the chicken and cook the other side until charred.
16. Once cooked, rest the chicken off to the side, collecting any crispy bits.
17. Toast pita bread in a dry pan.
18. Shred lettuce, fluff it up, and toss it into an ice bath to get ultra cold and crispy.
19. Cut tomatoes into nice even chunks and sprinkle with salt.
20. Chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized cubes.
21. Fluff the cooked yellow rice.
22. Plate the yellow rice, followed by the charred chicken, then a mixture of ice-cold lettuce and tomatoes.
23. Apply white sauce and red sauce generously over the plated chicken and rice.

## Equipment

- plastic wrap
- rice maker
- squeeze bottle
- blender
- cast iron pan
- dry 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.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg2TRDIrBN8
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/60a98cce-e77b-474d-b4a1-212d260cac5a
- Extracted: 2026-05-11

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt