Halal Cart Chicken over Rice (for One)

Are you Vegan or Vegetarian? Try this Vegan Halal Cart “Chicken” over Rice instead!

This is one of the tastiest chicken recipes I have made. The flavors are distinct between chicken, sauce and rice but they marry so well together. ~Danika ★★★★★

Halal Carts are probably the best thing about New York City – for me at least. Sadly, I live a good hour away in the Jersey Suburbs, so it’s not something I get to eat often. When I woke up yesterday, craving some yummy chicken over rice, I knew the only way to satisfy my craving was to make it from scratch. This healthy recipe is simple to follow and perfect for one to two people.

As much as I love the chicken over rice in New York, I’m not a huge fan of how I feel after the meal. I personally find that greasy meals make me feel less energetic and aren’t too great for my digestive system. So, in true EatsByRamya fashion, this recipe is a healthy spin on one of the best street foods New York City has to offer with a whopping 40 grams of Protein! It’s also lighter on the calories – Halal Guys (800+ calories depending on how much chicken they put on the platter and how much white sauce you get) versus My Recipe (594 calories with the White Sauce).

Marinating The Chicken

Marinating your chicken, even if it’s just for an hour or two, infuses flavor deep into the chicken, rather than just coating flavor on the outside. The marinade also tenderizes the chicken by breaking down the proteins. This improves the texture of the chicken by keeping it juicy as it cooks. For this marinade, you’ll need:

  • Minced Garlic
  • Lemon Juice
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Lots of Spices

Fluffy Yellow Rice

There are many possible ways to cook rice, but for this recipe we will be doing it stovetop. Different halal carts make yellow rice differently, so this recipe will be a very basic one. My favorite type of rice to use for this is long grain basmati rice because that is what is commonly used at Halal Carts and results in the best texture. If you don’t have basmati rice readily available, you can use any other rice in its place!

White Sauce

The simplest part of this dish is the white sauce. Just add some light mayo, greek yogurt, lemon juice and parsley to a bowl with a pinch of salt and mix! I don’t have a red sauce recipe, but here’s one that I found on the internet that you might want to take a stab at.

Making This For More Than One Person?

It’s super easy – just multiply the measurements by the number of people you are cooking for! This recipe doubles and quadruples perfectly.

Print
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Halal Cart Chicken over Rice (for One)


  • Author: eatsbyramya
  • Total Time: 1 Hour 45 Min
  • Yield: 1 Bowl 1x

Description

Halal Cart Style flavorful, marinated chicken over fluffy yellow rice topped with the famous, creamy white sauce – all made from scratch!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Chicken Thigh, boneless, skinless
  • ½ tsp olive oil

For the Marinade

  • 2 tsp garlic, very finely minced
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt or plain yogurt
  • ¼ tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp red chili powder
  • ⅛ tsp cumin powder
  • ⅛ tsp garam masala or allspice
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • ⅛ tsp turmeric

For the Yellow Rice

  • ⅓ cup long grain basmati rice (the rice is white until you add turmeric)
  • ⅔ cup Chicken Broth (or Water)
  • 1 tsp butter
  • ⅛ tsp turmeric
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder

For the White Sauce (makes ¼ cup)

  • 2 tbsp light mayo
  • 2 tbsp nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp vinegar, optional
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp sugar
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Garnishes

  • 1/2 cup Lettuce, shredded
  • Chopped Tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Marinating the Chicken: Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. To a bowl, add the chicken and all the marinade ingredients. Mix well and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
  2. Making the White Sauce: Mix together all the white sauce ingredients and refrigerate. If the sauce is too thick, keep adding 1-2 tsp of water and mix until it is a more drizzlable consistency.
  3. Cooking the Rice: To a small pot or saucepan, add the butter and let it melt. Add in the turmeric, salt and cumin. Toast for 1 minute, then add the rice. Saute for 1-2 minutes or until the rice slightly browns. Add in the salt and broth(or water). Bring everything to a boil, then immediately cover with a lid and bring the heat to low. Cook for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
  4. Cooking the Chicken: While the rice cooks, cook the chicken. Place a small pan on the stove and let it get hot. Add 1/2 tsp oil and chicken, then cook for 2-3 minutes on one side and flip. Cook for 2-3 minutes and flip again. Keep repeating until chicken is completely cooked.
  5. Plating the Platter: First, spread the rice out on your plate. Then add the chicken to one side and the lettuce & tomato to the other side. Drizzle the white sauce generously over the platter and enjoy!
  • Prep Time: 15 Min
  • Marinating Time: 1 Hour
  • Cook Time: 30 Min
  • Category: Copycat Recipes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Mediterranean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1
  • Calories: 574
  • Sugar: 3g
  • Sodium: 353.1mg
  • Carbohydrates: 48.8g
  • Fiber: 0.8g
  • Protein: 38.8g
  • Cholesterol: 153.2mg

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  1. I made this for my parents and they were so impressed!! It was my first time ever making rice. Keeping this for future meals 🙂

    1. So excited to a part of your first time making rice!!

  2. Such a tasty recipe, whist being so simple to make. The recipe was so easy to follow and it didn’t take too much effort. I make this really often now – especially for lunches – as it’s good/easy to prep beforehand (ie make the marinade the night before).

  3. Do yourself a favor and make this dish for either meal prepping or just enjoy it on a Sunday night! I enjoyed every single bite of the Chicken! The flavors really pop in your mouth and the sauce is so simple yet, the ingredients work so well together.

  4. This is one of the tastiest chicken recipes I have made. The flavors are distinct between chicken, sauce and rice but they marry so well together. This is on my gotos now

    1. That makes me very happy to hear!

  5. This is the best version of Halal Chicken over rice! Never thought yellow rice can be this simple yet so delish! This has been a regular in the household since I came across your recipe! Cant wait to try your other recipes.

  6. I love this!! I made it for the first time and my parents were so impressed! I can’t wait to make it for my fiancé soon. Finally helping my cooking skills

  7. I enjoyed every single bite of the Halal Chicken Cart! It tastes almost like the same thing. Definitely adding to my monthly rotation of meals that I cook! The sauce is so simple, yet there’s an explosion in your mouth. Very easy to make, so everyone should give it a try!

  8. Tried the vegetarian version of the same by substituting chicken with paneer. My husband and I loved it and had it again within 2 days. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!!

    1. Glad you were able to adapt it! There’s also a Vegan version of this recipe available on my website!

  9. So delicious and recipe really well explained. Flavors unlike I have had before but they work so well together! Make this now!!!

    1. Ramya Author says:

      Thanks for your review Kayla!

  10. I don’t have any reference to an authentic version of this dish but I have nothing but good things to say about this dish! It’s so flavorful, and this is one of the few recipes we’ve found where the given seasoning measurements were ACTUALLY enough.

    1. That makes me SO happy to hear!

  11. Delicious!!!!! 100% recommended

    1. Love to hear it!

  12. I made this recipe with some tofu and I enjoyed it so much!!! The flavours come together so well, making it a very comforting food for me

    1. That sounds delicious! You might want to check out the vegan version of this recipe on my website as well 🙂

  13. This recipe was amazing! Very easy to follow and does not take too much time. Made it for my bf and he loved it! We will def have this recipe as a regular!

  14. Love love love it! Chicken is so tender, never dry and the sauce compliments it soo well! We make it at least weekly!

  15. Really good! Flavors came together real well. I didn’t think I would like the white sauce but I’m glad I made it anyway – tastes so good when mixed all together! I made roasted veggies with it and it was all yum. Can’t wait to try more recipes!

  16. Really like the recipe. The rice was wonderful, i

  17. Really like the recipe. The rice was wonderful, I will use it with other dishes. The chicken was very good. It wasn’t what I usually get on the Halal cart but very tasty. The cart’s chicken is a little milder more like a korma or butter chicken. The white sauce is wonderful and does a good job marrying everything together.

  18. Super good recipe, I did use a separate recipe to learn how to rice cooker the rice because I’m lazy but it was the same ingredients. Used chicken breast because I’m watching my figure, nah store didn’t have any thighs. The inky actual change I did was added some hot sauce when swrving

  19. Anonymous says:

    Delicious, hubby loves it