Halal Street Chicken

Late-night recipe searching on the web yields some pretty delicious results. I have a feeling our version turned out less greasy than the original street food version of this Halal Chicken recipe-- but ours was incredibly flavorful and a nice break from mac and cheese or ramen.

Halal Street Chicken
adapted from Serious Eats Halal Cart-Style Chicken and Rice with White Sauce


Chicken:
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh oregano *or dried oregano...or Italian Seasoning for those watching the budget*
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped *we always add more garlic*
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper (roughly 1/2 tsp of each)
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced or sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Rice:
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp tumeric *can and will die almost anything yellow, be careful which dishes you use and always clean up spills right away!*
1/4 ground cumin
1 1/2 cups long-grain Basmati rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
Salt and Pepper (roughly 1/2 of each)

Sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley *same story as for Oregano above*


Serving Condiments:
shredded iceberg lettuce
1 large tomato, cut into wedges
pita bread (optional)
hot sauce (optional- but who doesn't like hot sauce!)

Very first thing, you'll need to marinate the chicken. Slice or dice chicken, whatever you prefer. Blend the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Pour marinade into freezer gallon-sized ziplock bag and add the raw chicken pieces. Marinade for 1-4 hours in the fridge.

I opted for getting the condiments and sauce ready first-- hoping some of the dried herbs in the yogurt mixture would release more flavor with more time.

Spoon the marinated chicken from the ziplock bag into a medium-high heat skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned on all sides and no pink is visible when a larger piece is cut in half. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add turmeric and cumin to melted butter and cook for 1 minute. Lightly toast the rice in the spiced butter by stirring frequently for about 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth and any salt and pepper you desire. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let rest 15 minutes. Stir cooked rice with a fork.

That's it!  Now it's all about assembling. I'm of the mindset that each person should assemble their own dinner using the proportions that they'd prefer. Aside from eating out, I'm never a fan of having my plate prepared for me.

Enjoy, it's delicious!

(As a side note for those watching their waistlines, this could be served with much more lettuce and less rice/chicken as a salad. There was plenty of flavor with the rice/chicken/sauce to go around with much more lettuce and tomatoes.)