Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice
Chicken and rice is a combo that’s beloved around the world. Inspired by Middle Eastern street food, we created this dish that’s a breeze to make using rotisserie chicken and warm cooked rice. The grains take on a beautiful golden hue thanks to ground turmeric, while cumin adds warm, earthy notes. Serve with a tangy yogurt sauce and pita bread.
Ingredients
For the yogurt sauce:
- 1/4 cup (2 oz./60 g) Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) mayonnaise
- Pinch of sugar
- Juice from 1/2 lemon or a splash of vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
For the chicken and rice:
- 2 cups (10 oz./315 g) warm cooked rice
- 2 tsp. unsalted butter
- Ground turmeric
- Ground cumin and/or coriander
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup (6 oz./185 g) cubed chicken (from a rotisserie chicken), warmed
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Fresh lemon juice as needed
For serving:
- Diced tomatoes
- Shredded lettuce
- Pita bread
- Hot sauce
Directions
To prepare the yogurt sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayonnaise, sugar and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
To prepare the chicken and rice, in a medium bowl, combine the warm rice, butter and a pinch each of turmeric and cumin. Season to taste with salt. Toss until the butter melts and the rice turns a light yellow color from the turmeric.
In another small bowl, toss the chicken with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice, to taste. Stir in a pinch or two of cumin and/or coriander, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
To serve, top the rice with the chicken, tomatoes and lettuce. Drizzle with the yogurt sauce and serve with pita bread and hot sauce. Serves 1.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen