Halal Chicken & Rice

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HALAL STYLE CHICKEN & RICE

Aromatic basmati rice, herb marinated chicken, and that unmistakable yogurt sauce.

Homemade halal chicken and rice is one of my favorite copycat dishes that I have tried. I found this recipe by Kenji Lopez of Serious Eats and adapted it for a slightly simpler version. In the actual Halal Guys version, I always felt like the shredded lettuce and tomatoes got in the way of me scooping up the chicken and rice as fast as my hungry, inebriated self would allow. My version is straight up chicken, rice, and toasty naan (my favorite store-bought Stonefire naan that can also be used for mini pizzas).

The most time consuming part of this recipe is waiting for the chicken to marinate which takes a good hour, but after that it's very straight forward. Makes an impressive dinner for a few friends or your family.

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Ingredients

chicken & marinade:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (6-8 thighs)
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
about 1 tbsp. vegetable oil, for frying
rice:
1 1/2 cups of Basmati rice
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
yogurt sauce:
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
pita:
1 package of Stonefire naan
olive oil
 

Preparing the chicken marinade:

  1. Using a blender or mini food processor, combine the oregano, coriander, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place all the chicken into a large freezer-sized ziploc bag with half of the marinade. Seal the bag, massage the marinade into the chicken, and leave in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Set the rest of the marinade aside for later. 
  2. After the hour is up, heat a large skillet over medium high heat with about a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once the oil starts to lightly smoke, add the chicken thighs in one even layer. Cook on the first side for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Flip the chicken, reduce the heat, and cook on second side for another 6-7 minutes until cooked all the way through. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken, and let cool.

Preparing the rice:

  1. In a medium pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add the turmeric and cumin to the melted butter and stir around to combine for about a minute. Add the rice and stir to coat with the spices. Continue stirring the rice for about 4 minutes until lightly toasted.
  2. Pour in the chicken broth and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let it come to a boil. Then, reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for about 15-18 minutes. When the time is up, remove from the heat and allow to rest until all the liquid is absorbed.

Preparing the sauce:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, Greek yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, chopped parsley, and black pepper. Season to taste with salt, if needed.

Preparing the store-bought naan:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the naan into triangle pieces and lay on a baking sheet.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes in the oven.

Now that the rice, sauce, and naan bread are prepared, chop the cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces. Portion the rice on a plate and top with the chicken. Spoon yogurt sauce over the chicken and rice. Serve with toasted naan and enjoy!

halal chicken and rice