In the bustling streets of New York City, where the yellow taxi is an iconic symbol, a delicious phenomenon emerged to cater to the diverse communities, especially the Muslim taxi drivers hailing from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Faced with the challenge of finding halal-approved meals that adhered to their dietary laws, the ingenious solution arose – the Halal Cart. What began as a local favorite for taxi drivers quickly became a culinary sensation, spreading its influence from the streets of NYC to streets across America and kitchens all across the United States.
Central to this street food revolution is the tantalizing marinated spiced pan seared chicken. Thinly sliced chicken thighs are marinated with ground coriander, garlic powder, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, allspice, sumac, paprika, lemon juice and olive oil. Then a quick pan-searing of the chicken pieces over medium-high heat. Once chicken is done, in the same pan we add a little more olive oil, sauté the rice with oregano, cumin turmeric before simmering it in chicken broth. Cooking the rice in the same pan it picks up the residual flavor of the chicken, making it extra tasty.
When the rice is cooked through, we serve the chicken slices on top with lots of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, pickled cabbage and a generous drizzle of the famous garlic white sauce, if you like it spicy a little Sriracha sauce is always welcome. With all these components you’ll bring that famous NYC food cart right into your own home.
Details
- Seasonings: is the heart of this recipe. We’ll need a few of them, thankfully most are readily available and likely in your pantry already. You’ll need ground allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder, dried oregano, sumac, salt and pepper. From what I see you may have a little trouble with sumac, which is a very Middle Eastern/Mediterranean spice and is available online or at specialty stores or Middle Eastern grocery stores. (Sumac is a dry red berry that is ground into a coarse powder with a earthy tart flavor).
- Chicken: use chicken thighs, tenders, or breasts, (boneless and skinless). I do suggest freezing the pieces for about 30 minutes so they firm up a bit which makes them easy to slice into thin pieces, mimicking the thinly shaved shawarma from a vertical rotisserie, it also helps the chicken absorbs the marinating flavors.
- Olive oil: we’ll add it to the chicken marinade, and garlic sauce.
- Fresh garlic: don’t be alarmed when I tell you we’ll need 7-8 cloves in the sauce. Trust me it is an amazing sauce just like the halal-cart guys drizzle on their bowls. The acid from the Greek yogurt, sour cream will mellow out the garlic.
- Butter, Ghee or Olive Oil: the halal guys sauté the rice, onions in butter or sometimes ghee to create the famous yellow rice. But I’m an olive oil girl and prefer olive oil, but use whatever you prefer.
- Basmati Rice: quality basmati rice is best for this recipe. Simply rinse under running water until clear, drain before toasting and cooking.
- Chicken Broth: Low sodium chicken broth works best for this recipe to control the sodium content. Since we’re seasoning a few different components, low sodium broth works best.
- Sauces: We’ll make a special garlic sauce just like the halal guys do. For the garlic sauce you’ll need sour cream, mayo(optional), Greek yogurt, olive oil lemon juice, parsley, salt and black pepper. For the hot sauce, good old squeeze of sriracha or similar works best.
While the Halal Cart legacy originated to meet the dietary needs of a specific community in New York City, the appeal of their famous chicken bowl has transcended cultural boundaries. Recreate this iconic street food at home, bringing the vibrant flavors of the Middle East to your kitchen and creating a culinary experience that pays homage to the rich tapestry of global cuisine.
Halal Cart-Style Shawarma Bowl
Equipment
- Skillet or large frying pan
Ingredients
Homemade Chicken Shawarma
- 2 lbs chicken thighs, tenders or breast boneless & skinless
- 2-3 tbsp e.v olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground all spice heaped
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp sumac
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- sea salt as needed
- 1 tsp black pepper
Yellow Rice
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 3 cups chicken broth or water
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- salt to taste
White Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt, heaped for richer sauce use mayo
- 7-8 cloves garlic cloves, peeled
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp e.v.olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice more needed
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- water to thin
- ½ tsp sugar
Bowl Add Ons
- Romaine lettuce or Iceberg
- fresh tomatoes
- cucumber
- pickled red cabbage
- sliced onions
- pita bread optional
- Sriracha hot sauce
Instructions
White Garlic Sauce
- In a blender or small food processor, whisk together garlic, Greek yogurt/mayo, sour cream, black pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, and water to desired consistency until smooth. Set aside for at least one hour so the garlic mellows out. Keep refrigerated and use within a week.
Chicken Shawarma
- Freeze the chicken pieces for about 30 minutes, this helps with slicing the chicken into thin slices .To a large bowl, add the chicken thigh pieces, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and all the ground spices. Mix to marinade evenly. For more flavor, you can let it sit overnight or for at least half an hour.
- Heat oil in a cast iron skillet or pan over high heat. Add the chicken slices and cook on each side until a nice brown crust develops, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Then turn the heat to low and cover to cook for a few minutes until chicken is fully cooked. Transfer to a warm plate and keep warm. Don’t clean the pan, we can cook the rice in the same pan. If you prefer the rice can be cooked in a different pan.
Yellow Rice
- Wash rice 2-3 times with warm water or until the water runs clear. Soak in water for 10 minutes and then drain. To the same pan as the chicken, heat the pan over medium heat, add the olive oil or butter. Add the rice and toast it for about one minute until fragrant. You can cook the rice in a separate pan if preferred.
- Add the chicken broth, turmeric, oregano, cumin, salt, and bay leaf and stir once. Mix together and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to simmer, cover, and cook for about 10-11 minutes. Turn off the heat but keep covered for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, take the lid off, pull the bay leaf out, and fluff with a fork.
Assemble
- In a plate, arrange the rice, chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, onions pickled red cabbage if you have, and pita bread. Drizzle generous amounts of white sauce and some hot sauce on top. Enjoy!!!
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