Halal cart chicken and rice

Cuisine: Other
Meal: Dinner

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 1 1/2 tablespoons)
• 1/4 cup light olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (6 to 8 thighs)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

For the rice:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain or Basmati rice
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For white sauce:

• 1 ½ cups mayo
• ½ cup greek yogurt
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 4 garlic cloves minced or pressed
• 4 tbsp white vinegar
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp white sugar
• salt to taste

For hot sauce:

• 30 dried red chilis (I used Chile de Abrol) I’ve included a photo below of the dried chilis I used
• 8 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup of water chilis were soaking in
• ½ cup of olive oil
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp garlic powder
• 1.5 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes or a large plum tomato
• 1¼ cup white vinegar
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• salt to taste

Instructions

For the Chicken:

1. Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Season the marinade to taste with kosher salt and black pepper. Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and add half of the marinade (reserve the remaining marinade in the refrigerator). Turn the chicken to coat, seal the bag, and marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, turning occasionally to redistribute the marinade (see Note).

2. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat it dry with paper towels. Season with kosher salt and pepper, going heavy on the pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed cast iron or stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until it is lightly smoking. Add the chicken pieces and cook without disturbing until they are lightly browned on the first side, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the center of each thigh registers 165°F. on an instant-read thermometer, about 6 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and allow to cool for 5 minutes.

3. Using a chef’s knife, roughly chop the chicken into 1/2- to 1/4-inch chunks. Transfer to a medium bowl, add the remaining marinade, cover loosely with plastic, and refrigerate while you cook the rice and prepare the sauce.

For the rice:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is lightly toasted, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes without disturbing. Remove from the heat and allow to rest until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.

For white sauce:

1. Simply put everything in a large mason jar or bowl and mix until well combined!

For hot sauce:

1. Put dried chilis in a heat resistant bowl. I prefer to ‘crack’ them open at this point and shake out all the seeds (you can do this after they’ve rehydrated, but I just think it’s harder that way). Then shake them all around in the bowl and throw out all the seeds that are now at the bottom of the bowl. Pour 5 cups of boiling water over deseeded chilis. Stir to make sure everything is well combined and all chilis are covered. Let set for an hour or until chilis are soft. Make sure not to throw out chili water yet! Place chilis and all other ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. If you want it to be more ‘liquidy’ add more chili water than advised above. Refrigerate until use. The longer it sits, the better it gets for the first few hours!