History

The Halal Guys opened a single hot-dog cart at 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue in 1990. The three Egyptian founders (Mohamed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed) switched to halal-prepared chicken and gyro within months to serve the area's Muslim taxi drivers. The yellow rice, the chopped grilled chicken, the lettuce shred and the chilli-and-white-sauce squeeze bottles all set the template that every halal cart in the city has copied since. The original cart still operates from the same corner; the company now franchises globally, but the editorial answer remains the cart.

Common allergens: Dairy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 35 minTotal 2 hrDifficulty Easy

Ingredients

  • 800g boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • Salt and pepper
  • Vegetable oil for the pan
  • 300g long-grain basmati rice
  • 30g unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 0.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 200ml mayonnaise (for white sauce)
  • 100ml plain Greek yoghurt
  • 1 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp chopped parsley
  • Sriracha or hot sauce to serve

Method

  1. Marinate the chicken in garlic, lemon juice, coriander, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper for at least 1 hour.
  2. Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear. Drain well.
  3. Melt butter in a saucepan, add turmeric and cumin, then the rice. Toast 1 minute. Add stock, bring to boil, cover and cook on lowest heat for 18 minutes. Rest 10 minutes off heat.
  4. Heat a heavy pan very hot with a slick of oil. Sear chicken thighs 4 minutes per side until charred at the edges. Rest 5 minutes, then chop into bite-sized pieces.
  5. Whisk mayonnaise, yoghurt, vinegar, sugar and parsley with a pinch of salt. This is the white sauce.
  6. Plate: rice on the bottom, chopped chicken over, shredded lettuce and diced tomato on top.
  7. Drizzle white sauce generously, then hot sauce to taste. Eat with a plastic fork from a foil tray for full authenticity.

Tip from the editors. The colour of the white sauce is the marker: pale, not bright white. Too much mayo and you lose the tang.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat halal cart chicken and rice

Halal cart chicken and rice in New York City

The Halal Guys ★ 4.5

midtownDaily 10:00-04:00

The Halal Guys cart at 53rd and 6th has served halal chicken and rice in Midtown New York City since 1990. The yellow rice, the white sauce and the red chilli set the cart template.

Try: Chicken and rice with white sauce

Tip: The original cart sits on the southwest corner; a second cart on the southeast corner is the same kitchen. The line is shorter at the southeast.

W 53rd Street and 6th Avenue New York, NY 10019

King Souvlaki of Astoria ★ 4.4

astoriaTue-Sun 12:00-22:00

King Souvlaki of Astoria has grilled pork and chicken souvlaki on a Queens corner cart in New York City since 2006. Pita wraps with tzatziki, fries, raw onion, Vendy nominee.

Try: Pork souvlaki pita

Tip: Order pork souvlaki on a pita, fries inside the pita. The chicken is well-cooked; the pork is the better cut.

31st Street and 31st Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106

Sammy's Halal ★ 4.4

jackson-heightsDaily 10:00-22:00Cash only

Sammy's Halal cart on Broadway in Jackson Heights, New York City has served Bangladeshi-style biryani and grilled chicken since 2001. Vendy Awards winner 2006.

Try: Chicken biryani over rice

Tip: Cash only at the cart. Ask for extra green sauce; the bright cilantro version is the menu's hidden detail.

73rd St And Broadway, Jackson Heights, NY 11372

53rd & 6th cart ★ 4.3

midtownDaily 19:00-04:00

The 53rd and 6th late-night cart corner is a New York City institution: three carts side by side, the Halal Guys and two rivals, feeding bar crowds until 04:00.

Try: Late-night chicken and rice

Tip: Order from whichever cart has the shortest line; the three menus are nearly identical at this hour.

53rd Street & 6th Avenue, New York, NY 10019

More cities are in research. Want halal cart chicken and rice covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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