A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a video documentary of comedian Bob Einstein (you may remember from the John Byner Comedy Hour in his Super Dave Osborne sketches). In the documentary, they mentioned an episode of Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm" that featured Bob Einstein that involved a situation at a Halal Chicken restaurant. Well, to make a long story short, it triggered my thinking back to a lunch stop my friends and I would make at one of the lunch carts in midtown Manhattan when I worked in the city. Some of you may know if from that hard to miss Orange and Red logo of The Halal Guys.
After I did a little research of various recipes, here’s my take on tinkering with them – you know, a little of this, a little of that.
Enough said!!! Here goes my take on Midtown Lunch Cart Chicken and Yellow Rice. I think you'll find it to be a VERY EASY recipe that gives verve to that sometimes boring boneless chicken you want to make.
Ingredients
For Chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (if you’d like to make a healthier version you can substitute boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup water
4 cloves of fresh garlic (grated or very finely chopped – try to get it close to a paste)
1 Tablespoon parsley (I used fresh chopped parsley, but you can substitute dried)
½ Tablespoon of dried oregano
½ Tablespoon of ground coriander
½ Tablespoon of ground cumin
½ Tablespoon of ground cardamom
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon of kosher salt
½ teaspoon of black pepper
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (adjust depending upon desired level of heat)
For Magic White Sauce (You HAVE to make this):
½ Cup whole fat Greek yogurt (I make my own homemade – you could also substitute sour cream – you can also use their low fat equivalents)
½ Cup of Mayonnaise (I used low fat mayonnaise – but do NOT use Salad Dressing)
2 cloves of fresh garlic (grated or very finely chopped – again, try to get it close to a paste)
2 Tablespoons water
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon white sugar
For Red Hot Sauce:
¼ Cup Hot Pepper Sauce (I used Louisiana Crystal, but you could also use Frank’s Hot Sauce)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
For Yellow Rice (Instant Pot Method):
1 ½ Cups Brown Rice (brown Basmati rice is preferred, but we have used brown Jasmine and brown sushi rice as well)
1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1 ½ Cups Water (VERY Hot)
1 Packet of No Sodium Goya®
1 Tablespoon Consommé Chicken Broth Powder (I like Osem brand – it’s actually vegetarian)
1 Tablespoon Chopped parsley
Instructions (Marinate Chicken)
In a small glass bowl (large enough to marinade the chicken) add extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, and parsley and give a quick whisk
Add remaining dry ingredients and whisk
Add boneless chicken thighs to marinade making sure the chicken is coated nicely – You can now cover the chicken with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 6 – 8 hours. TIPS: A) I make this by marinating the chicken overnight in the fridge. B) You can also pour the marinade into a plastic resealable bag and add the chicken and lightly squish it around to fully coat the chicken.
Instructions (Magic White Sauce)
NOTE: This sauce is the elixir of the street food gods and is key to making this dish taste like it’s street vendor cousin (in case you didn’t see the other note above - whatever you do – do NOT skip this accompaniment!!!)
Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, water, white vinegar, lemon juice, parsley in a bowl and whisk together.
Season with salt, black pepper, and white sugar and adjust for desired taste and making sure you whisk them into the sauce.
Refrigerate and set aside. It will be used to dress the final meal.
Instructions (Red Hot Sauce)
NOTE: To me – another important accompaniment. I’m still working on this to get the desired red hot scoville units on this (the NY street cart version seems to be a LOT hotter), but until I do, this will do for now.
Combine Hot Pepper, cayenne pepper, and paprika, and whisk together.
Refrigerate and set aside. It will be used to dress the final meal.
Instructions (Yellow Rice but made with Brown Rice)
Place hot water in a measuring cup and add the consommé powder and Sazon seasoning into the water and give it a stir to dissolve (don’t worry it if is not fully dissolved).
Place oil in Instant Pot and hit the sauté button.
Heat the oil briefly and add the rice to the pot. Give the rice a stir on the hot oil to toast it for 3 – 4 minutes (NOTE: You don’t want the rice to burn, but you’d like it to be slightly toasted).
Add the broth you mixed above into the instant pot. Add the parsley and stir the rice, broth, and parsley.
Put the lid onto the Instant Pot and twist it to seal.
Hit the Pressure Cook button and set the cooking pressure to High and set the timer to 22 minutes.
Allow the Instant Pot to cycle through the pressure cook time and allow it to naturally release the steam on its own (we find this technique makes a big difference to fully cook the rice and leave a more “fluffy” result – especially brown rice).
When pressure has release, remove the top off the Instant Pot and give the rice a stir with a fork to fluff.
Instructions (Cooking the Chicken)
Heat your favorite skillet over Medium heat and spray lightly with cooking spray (I prefer our well-seasoned cast iron skillets for this – we’re not big fans of non-stick Teflon cookware).
Place the chicken in the pan and grill it until brown on both sides. You want a nice crispy coating. Your goal is to only flip the chicken once during cooking to keep the juiciness inside.
When done, remove chicken from pan and place on cutting board to rest for 3 – 5 minutes (loosely covered with foil).
Slice the chicken into small ¾” – 1” cubes.
Final Assembly
Traditionally, this dish is served as a platter with rice and salad (your choice for a salad – but we like mixed greens, chopped red bell pepper, chopped cucumber). You generally get some warm pita bread on the side too.
Plate your rice on one side of the plate and compliment it with some salad on the other
Place a serving of the grilled chicken over the rice.
Drizzle (or spoon or ladle!!!) that magical white sauce over the chicken rice and salad and drizzle the hot sauce!
Grab your favorite cutlery and enjoy.
As Always,
Best Regards and BonAppetIT!!!
TheITGourmet
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