Halal Chicken
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Aug 14, 2025 
This Halal Chicken is a Middle Eastern street food favorite that layers zesty grilled chicken with tangy yogurt sauce and fresh chopped veggies over fluffy yellow rice.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
This Halal Chicken over rice is a fabulous full meal you find at Middle Eastern restaurants, and of course, New York City street corners served hot from food carts.
The word halal in Arabic is a similar concept to the word kosher in Hebrew. Halal chicken means chicken (or other meats) prepared to respect the customs of the Muslim faith. Here we are using grocery store boneless skinless chicken thighs, so I cannot guarantee they are truly halal. But the spirit of halal-cart chicken over rice is represented in this recipe, with all its contrasting flavors and textures.
Why You’ll Love Halal Chicken
- Meal prep perfection – This halal chicken and rice dish is seriously THE BEST recipe for meal prep. Make big batches and enjoy it throughout the week for lunch or dinner.
- Amazing flavors – This chicken and rice bowl is made with fluffy Middle Eastern yellow rice, marinated grilled chicken, a cool creamy yogurt sauce, and then finished off with fresh lettuce, tomatoes, pita strips, and harissa hot sauce.
- Better-for-you than takeout – We all love the classic chicken and rice from the Halal carts, but this homemade version is undoubtedly so much better for you.
If you’re looking to upgrade your go-to chicken recipe, definitely try this Halal Chicken recipe!
Ingredients and Tips
- Chicken thighs – Halal cart style chicken is best made with chicken thighs! You can definitely use chicken breast, but chicken thighs result in the most flavorful and juicy chicken.
- Spices – You’ll need a mix of dried oregano, ground coriander, ground cumin salt, turmeric, onion powder and pepper.
- Garlic – For that bold Middle Eastern flavor, use minced fresh garlic.
- Greek yogurt and mayo – For the base of the infamous white sauce, you will need plain Greek yogurt and mayonnaise.
- Basmati rice – Use plain Basmati rice and make sure not to overcook it.
- Butter – Plain butter makes the rice taste so much better.
- Garnishes – Serve these chicken and rice bowls with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, pita slices, chopped parsley and Harissa hot sauce.
Recipe Variations and Dietary Swaps
- Chicken breast – Swap chicken thighs with boneless and skinless breasts. I recommend pounding them thin before marinating so they cook evenly and are less likely to be dry.
- Baby spinach – Replace the iceberg with baby spinach or kale.
- Other grain options – Serve the chicken with quinoa or couscous if you’re not a fan of rice.
- Feta cheese – Sprinkle on some crumbled feta cheese.
How to Make Halal Chicken – Tips For Success
- Halal cart style chicken is best made with chicken thighs! You can definitely use chicken breast, but chicken thighs result in the most flavorful and juicy chicken.
- Season it up! This chicken over rice recipe stands out from the rest due to the variety of seasons in both the chicken and the rice.
- Make the white sauce a day or two early to save yourself some time!
Find the full Halal Chicken recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
- Storing Leftovers – Place leftovers grilled chicken and rice in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The white sauce stays fresh for up to 1 week if stored in a sealed jar.
- Reheating Leftovers – Reheat the chicken and rice in a microwave or in a saucepan over medium heat. Don’t heat up the sauce!
Serving Suggestions
The most classic way to serve up this Halal Chicken recipe is over rice. That being said, you can also turn this into a salad bowl over a bed of kale, cucumber, sliced red onion and radishes.
You can also turn this into a hearty wrap and load up a warm pita with chicken, veggies and that amazing white sauce!
Halal Cart Chicken + VIDEO
Video
Ingredients
For the Halal Chicken –
- 1 ½ pound boneless chicken thighs
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 3-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
For the Yogurt Sauce –
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Rice –
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups basmati rice or long grain rice
- 2 teaspoons chicken base or bouillon
- 2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 4 cups water
To Serve –
- 1 ½ cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 ½ cups fresh diced tomato
- 3 pitas or naan sliced into 1-inch strips
- ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley
- ¼ cup harissa hot sauce
Instructions
- For the Halal Chicken Marinade: Set out a large baking dish. In the dish, combine the fresh lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, oregano, coriander, cumin, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt, and ½ teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Whisk well. Then place the chicken thighs into the marinade. Turn them over to coat the chicken on all sides. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. (This step can be done a day in advance if needed.)
- For the Yogurt Sauce: Set out a medium bowl or measuring pitcher. Combine the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sugar, and garlic powder. Mix until smooth. Then taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- For the Yellow Rice: Set a medium saucepot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the butter. Once melted, stir in the rice making sure it is coated well with butter. Stir in the chicken base, turmeric, onion powder, and ground cumin. Stir well to coat the rice, then stir in 4 cups of water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Cook according to the time listed on the rice package, usually 15 to 20 minutes. The rice is done when vent holes have formed in the top of the rice, and the top looks dry and fluffy. Remove from heat, fluff the rice, and cover again to keep warm.
- Preheat a grill (or grill pan) to medium heat, about 350°F. Once hot, grill the marinated chicken for 5 minutes per side. Allow the chicken to rest for an additional 5 minutes so the juices settle. Then slice the chicken thighs into thin strips.
- To Plate: Place a large scoop of fluffy yellow rice in a bowl or on a plate. Top with sliced grilled chicken. Add several pita strips to the plate column followed by a hearty scoop of shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes. Dollop or drizzle yogurt sauce over the top, followed by harissa hot sauce if desired. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the chicken and rice and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Halal refers to the process by which the animal is slaughtered in accordance with Muslim laws. So there are no differences in the animals themselves.
No, only the processing of the chicken is different.
Many of the steps to make halal cart chicken can be done in advance!
Cook the rice a day or two beforehand and keep it in the fridge until ready to reheat in the microwave.
Chop the fresh veggies and make the yogurt sauce a day or two in advance and keep it in the fridge.
Make the marinade and marinate the chicken the day prior to cooking.
It is best to keep the cooked and fresh components separate until ready to assemble and enjoy. I recommend storing the room-temperature cooked chicken and rice in one container together, the fresh veggies in another container together, and the yogurt sauce in a third container.
This was an absolutely delicious dish! Whole family loved it and will be totally making this again!
We had no leftover with this halal chicken over rice! Kids love it! So tender and packed with flavors.
Wow! We loved this dish so much. It tasted so good that there were no leftovers!!
Love this dish! It’s delicious and simple to make, a keeper for sure!