Cart Style Chicken and Rice

I have been looking forward to making this recipe for a long time.  I was made a follower of the chicken and rice cart food about 8 years ago.  The fact that I can now make it at home is pretty freaking awesome.

That's your chicken marinade right there.  I'm not going to sugar coat anything here when I tell you that this is not a quick dinner to put together.  It's definitely not a weeknight meal.  But it's not in any way a difficult recipe to make.

Cart Style Chicken and Rice

Adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp oregano

1/2 cumin

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbsp vegetable oil

For the rice:

2 tbsp butter

3/4 tsp cumin

1 1/2 cup long grain rice

2 1/2 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper

For the white sauce:

1 cup sour cream

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

For serving:

shredded lettuce

chopped tomatoes

naan bread

siracha hot sauce

1. For the chicken: combine lemon juice through salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag and pour in half the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate 1-4 hours.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook until chicken is no longer pink. 

3. Place chicken on a cutting board and dice into small strips. Place in a bowl with the reserved marinade.

4. For the rice: melt the butter in a large saucepan.  Add the cumin and cook until fragrant.  Add rice to skillet and cook until lightly toasted, stirring often.  Add broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover cook until rice is tender, 15-25 minutes.

5. For the sauce: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.

6. To serve: return contents of chicken bowl to skillet and cook until heated through. Pile rice on a plate, top with chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, white and hot sauces. Serve naan bread on the side.

All that was missing here was the Styrofoam bowl.  

Seriously, this was unbelievably delicious. It is well worth the effort, especially for those whose access to halal carts is limited.