Whenever people go to NYC, they always go to this place and drunk take a picture of the Halal Guys chicken and rice. I’ve always seen it, but never ever had it before. I don’t plan on eating the real thing anytime soon either because although I am going to NYC this summer, its going to be with family again. Parents are always in search of good Asian food, but never anything outside the asian cuisine. Also, I figured that because I don’t drunk eat, I can never eat this with my friends if I ever go to NYC with them, so the only way I can eat it is to make it myself.
So I did my research and learned that halal food is food permitted by Islam for consumption because they have a list of things they can’t eat, such as pork, because they are slaughtered in a certain way. “Halal” means lawful. “Haram” means forbidden. Interesting right? I also learned that there are numerous halal street carts around NYC, and each have their own unique ‘white sauce’. I seriously thought there was only one cart that people go to, but I guess only tourists like my friends only know about one. haha! I tweaked the recipe a little bit- for example, using romaine lettuce instead of iceberg. Ew…*shudder*, I hate iceberg lettuce because its so cheap, flavorless, and nutrition-less. I also used A LOT less mayo for the white sauce…I HATE MAYO. I think mayo is awful. Anyway, my recipe and tweaks turned out pretty well- I enjoyed eating it because I love all the spices and freshness of the white sauce. Because I have never tried the real one, please dont hate me if this recipe doesnt turn out exactly like the halal cart ones in NYC.

Ingredients:

Chicken:
4 Chicken thighs [I used 4 bone in and cut off the meat. I buy the Costco sized packs]
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp paprika
4 garlic clives, minced
2 tbsp lemon juice [I used half a lemon]
1/2 cup yogurt
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 onion

My version of the white sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp mayonaise [you can use the normal amt of 1/2 cup if you would like…*shudder*]
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice [I used half a lemon]
1 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dill
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley

Rice:
1 cup rice
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
[I cooked the rice in rice cooker]

1. Cut chicken into cubes
2. Mix 1/2 of the spices garlic, yogurt, lemon juice, onion mixture with the chicken. [Save half of the marinade for later]

3. Marinate for 3-4 hours.

4. Heat pan. Cook chicken until brown and toasty.

5. Take chicken out of pan and mix with the remaining yogurt marinade. Put that in fridge while you make white sauce.
6. Make the white sauce by mixing all those ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper however you like. If you want to add more mayo, go ahead. I hate mayo so I used very little. You could go the normal route and use 1/2 cup mayo instead. *shudder*

7. Take the chicken out and place it in the pan until brown again/ when the yogurt is all cooked into the chicken
8. Serve over rice. Drizzle white sauce on top. Cut lettuce and tomatoes and put it on the plate. Serve.