A delicious copycat recipe of the famous NYC Food Cart. This Halal Guys chicken rice bowl is boldly spiced, served with flavorful turmeric rice and spiced yogurt sauce.
Halal Guys is super popular in New York City. As soon as you pass that corner, the aroma becomes so tempting even when you’ve had a big meal. You’ll be in that line, drooling over everyone’s order, and once you finally get your order, you can’t wait to take a bite. The juicy flavorful chicken with a tinge of sourness from the lemon, the perfectly cooked rice, that white sauce that you want to just drink up, and then comes the super spicy harissa kind of hot chili sauce.
The first time we had the chicken rice bowl from Halal Guys was three ago when I visited New York City with my teen. Our main motto for the trip was to eat through the city. We loved it so much that we walked for forty minutes to have it another day of our travel. We generally don’t eat from one place twice during a vacation.
So, of course, we craved it quite a lot after coming back to San Francisco. We didn’t have a branch in SF then. I did my research and when I saw Sabrina from DinnerthenDessert had a copycat recipe for the Halal Guys Chicken, I jumped on it.
After a couple of years, here’s my version. Although Halal Guys are now open in the Bay Area, I still love making this chicken rice bowl at home.
Halal Guys Chicken Rice Bowl
This chicken and rice bowl is pretty simple. The marination is very important. Soak and leave it for a couple of hours, not too many. After grilling or pan frying the chicken, wrap it with foil and shred it. I like the chicken shredded, but if you like cubes, chop it up after the chicken has had time to rest.
I also added some sriracha to the white sauce, and we absolutely enjoyed it. My boys do love spice, so it worked out perfectly.
Rice for the Halal Guys Rice bowl
To get the perfect rice, you have to toast it well with oil until almost golden brown. Add the liquid. Boil the liquid before adding in
Definitely give it this Halal Guys chicken rice bowl a try; it’s quite easy compared to more overwhelming recipes with many ingredients. It’s healthy, so delicious and a complete meal.
- 4 boneless chicken thighs, skinless and take excess fat off
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or ⅓ tsp dried oregano powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped (about 1½ tablespoons)
- ⅓ cup light olive oil
- 3 tsp full fat yogurt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock(good quality)
- ¼ tsp cumin powder
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tbsp sriracha
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the chicken: Combine the lemon juice, oregano, coriander, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add pepper, yogurt and salt. Reserve 3 tbsp of the marinade for later Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and add all of the marinade. 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.
- 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 drained 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.
- Using a chef’s knife, roughly chop the chicken into ½- to ¼-inch chunks or shred the chicken with two forks(my preferred method). Set aside.
- Add the oil on medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the rice and toast it for 3-4 minutes. Add the turmeric and cumin and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute. 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.
- Mix all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside until ready to put together
- To serve, divide the rice, lettuce, tomato, and toasted pita bread evenly among four to 4 plates. Pile the chicken on top of the rice. Top with the white sauce and hot sauce. Add some lettuce. Serve immediately, passing extra sauce at the table.
- Note: Do not marinate the chicken longer than 4 hours or it’ll get a mushy texture. If you must delay cooking the chicken for any reason, remove it from the marinade, pat it dry with paper towels, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
If you make this Halal Guys Chicken and Rice bowl, let me know by tagging #foodfashionparty on social media. Check out my book MASALA AND MEATBALLS.
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Monica
Fascinating to see how this recipe breaks down. I’m so excited because I remember fondly how much I enjoyed getting halal chicken and rice from the street vendors back in the days when I worked in midtown manhattan. I’ve got to try this. Thank you for sharing this very do-able recipe. Hope you’re having a wonderful summer!
Jill | sugarspicelifeblog
I love Halal Guys! Even though we live in the area, its nice to see the copycat version so I try to attempt this at home now too!
angiesrecipes
Looks so comforting and yummy! So now when should I come over for the lunch :-))