Sometimes all you want is a good chicken and rice bowl. This is my homemade version of the iconic halal cart style chicken and rice that you find at street food stalls, and it is one of those recipes that delivers every single time. Spiced yellow rice, tender marinated chicken, a crisp simple salad, and that garlicky white sauce that ties everything together. A bowl of this and you are completely satisfied.
The marinade is bold and aromatic with paprika, cumin, sumac, and cinnamon, and the yellow rice is fragrant and buttery from the ghee and turmeric. The garlic sauce is creamy and tangy and goes on everything. This is the kind of meal that feels like proper comfort food.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Bold, aromatic spiced chicken with a deeply flavorful marinade
- Fragrant yellow rice cooked in broth with ghee and garlic
- That creamy garlic white sauce that makes everything better
- A complete meal in one bowl
- Easy to adapt with your preferred cooking method for the chicken
- Great for meal prep throughout the week
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1kg chicken breast, sliced into thin strips
- 3 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp sumac
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
For the Yellow Rice
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
For the Garlic Sauce
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 to 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A little water to thin it out
For the Salad
- 2 heads of lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- Salt to taste
For Serving
- Yellow rice
- Cooked chicken
- Salad
- Garlic sauce
- Sriracha
Instructions
1. Marinate the Chicken
Slice the chicken breast into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add the paprika, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, sumac, salt, tomato paste, olive oil, lemon juice, and ginger garlic paste. Mix well until every piece is fully coated.
Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits the more deeply the spices penetrate the chicken. If you have time, leave it for a couple of hours or even overnight in the fridge.
2. Cook the Yellow Rice
Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear and set aside.
Heat the ghee in a pot over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for a minute until fragrant and just turning golden. Add the turmeric, black pepper, cumin, and coriander and stir for another 30 seconds until the spices bloom in the ghee.
Add the rice and stir to coat every grain in the spiced ghee. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is fluffy and cooked through. Remove from heat and let it rest covered for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.
3. Cook the Chicken
Cook the marinated chicken using your preferred method.
For the pan, heat a little oil over medium high heat and cook the chicken strips for 3 to 4 minutes per side until cooked through and nicely charred at the edges.
For the grill, cook over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side until you get those beautiful grill marks and the chicken is cooked through.
For the oven, spread the chicken strips on a lined baking tray and bake at 220°C for 18 to 20 minutes until cooked through and slightly caramelized on the edges.
4. Make the Garlic Sauce
Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until smooth. Add a little water a splash at a time until you reach a pourable consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
5. Prepare the Salad
Roughly chop the lettuce and slice the cucumber. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Combine in a bowl and season with salt. Keep it simple, the other components carry all the bold flavor.
6. Assemble the Bowl
Start with a generous base of yellow rice. Add the cooked chicken on top. Add the salad alongside. Drizzle the garlic sauce generously over everything and finish with sriracha for heat.
Serve immediately.
Why I Love This Bowl
A good chicken and rice bowl is one of the most satisfying things you can eat. This version hits every note I want from a proper street food style meal. The spice blend on the chicken is warm and complex without being heavy. The rice is fragrant and buttery and could honestly be eaten on its own. And the garlic sauce is the kind of thing you end up putting on everything else for the rest of the week.
This is one of those recipes that looks like a lot of components but comes together easily and is absolutely worth every step.
The Spice Blend
The combination of sumac, cinnamon, and the warm spices in this marinade is what gives this chicken its distinctive character. Sumac is the ingredient that makes it taste unmistakably like halal cart chicken. It has a tangy, slightly fruity quality that you cannot replicate with anything else. If you have not cooked with sumac before, this recipe is a great introduction.
The cinnamon is used sparingly but it adds a subtle warmth to the background of the marinade that makes the overall flavor feel more complex and rounded.
The Garlic Sauce
The white garlic sauce is non negotiable in this bowl. It is tangy, creamy, garlicky, and it brings every component of the plate together. Using yogurt as the base instead of pure mayonnaise keeps it lighter and gives it a pleasant tang that works perfectly with the spiced chicken and rice.
Make extra. You will want to put it on everything.
Tips for Getting It Right
Do not skip rinsing the rice. This removes excess starch and prevents the rice from clumping together as it cooks.
Let the rice rest covered off the heat for a few minutes before fluffing. This step finishes the cooking gently and gives you a perfectly fluffy result.
Get some color on the chicken. Whether you are using a pan, grill, or oven, those caramelized edges add a huge amount of flavor and give you that authentic street food look and taste.
Marinate for as long as you can. Even 30 minutes makes a difference but overnight gives you the most deeply flavored chicken.
Meal Prep Tips
This recipe is excellent for meal prep. The yellow rice keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. The cooked chicken keeps for up to 3 days and reheats well in a pan. The garlic sauce keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge. Store the components separately and assemble fresh bowls throughout the week.
Storage and Reheating
Store all components separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Reheat the rice and chicken in a pan with a splash of water or broth to keep them from drying out. The garlic sauce is served cold straight from the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q. Can I use chicken thigh instead of breast?
Yes, chicken thigh is even better for this recipe as it stays juicier and has more flavor. Slice into strips and follow the same steps.
Q. What is sumac and where can I find it?
Sumac is a tangy, slightly fruity Middle Eastern spice made from dried sumac berries. You can find it in Middle Eastern grocery stores, specialty food shops, or online. It is worth tracking down as it is a key part of what gives this chicken its distinctive flavor.
Q. Can I use water instead of broth for the rice?
You can, but broth adds a significant amount of flavor to the rice. Chicken or vegetable broth is strongly recommended for the best result.
Q. Can I skip the sriracha?
Yes, the sriracha is completely optional but highly recommended. It adds a hit of heat that balances the creaminess of the garlic sauce and the richness of the rice. Any hot sauce you enjoy works as a substitute.
Q. Is this recipe suitable for meal prep?
Absolutely. All components store well separately in the fridge and can be assembled into fresh bowls throughout the week.
Halal Cart Style Chicken and Rice
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 1 kg chicken breast sliced into thin strips
- 3 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 2 tsp sumac
- 3 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
For the Yellow Rice
- 2 tbsp ghee
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
For the Garlic Sauce
- 1 cup yogurt
- 2 to 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A little water to thin it out
For the Salad
- 2 heads of lettuce roughly chopped
- 1 cucumber sliced
- 200 g cherry tomatoes halved
- Salt to taste
For Serving
- Yellow rice
- Cooked chicken
- Salad
- Garlic sauce
- Sriracha
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients with the chicken strips and mix well until fully coated. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, longer if possible.
- Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs clear. Heat ghee in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant and just golden. Add the turmeric, black pepper, cumin, and coriander and stir for 30 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat in the spiced ghee. Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and rest covered for a few minutes, then fluff with a fork.
- Cook the chicken using your preferred method. Pan fry over medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, grill over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or bake at 220°C for 18 to 20 minutes until cooked through and caramelized at the edges.
- Mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth. Add a little water to reach a pourable consistency.
- Combine the lettuce, cucumber, and cherry tomatoes. Season with salt.
- Assemble the bowl with a base of yellow rice, cooked chicken on top, salad alongside, a generous drizzle of garlic sauce, and sriracha to finish.
