CHICKEN AND RICE, STREET CART STYLE
I made this as a TakeOut Meal and it worked great! Mind you there were plenty of changes along the way. I am sure the rice is delicious as written, but I didn't have enough stove space to make it there. I substituted Oven Rice, using her spices. I did not make the sauce, because I had bought a crema at Costco (unfortunate choice). No Frank's Hot Sauce, but leftover Romesco in the fridge, so I added some harissa and water to make it pourable and used that -- yumm!
MARINADE & CHICKEN
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika (use smoked because it has the best flavour)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves (1/8 tsp)
1 tsp dried oregano
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6). This can also be made with 2-3 chicken breasts if you prefer)
1 tbsp olive oil, plus more to coat the pan
RICE or make Mom's Rice from AMA
1tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
3/4 tsp ground cumin
2 C basmati or any long-grain rice (I have found this to be a lot of rice, so even 1-1.5 C would suffice)
3 1/2 C chicken stock (I've used 1-2 C more as it this isn't really enough given the quantity of rice suggested)
1 tsp kosher salt
SAUCE
1C minus 2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp mayo
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
ASSEMBLY
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped or really any leafy green
2 medium tomatoes, chopped or cherry tomatoes halved
1/2 small red onion, chopped
kosher salt & ground pepper, to taste
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp harissa
1 tbsp olive oil
Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
3 large pocketless pita breads, toasted and halved, or tortillas
DIRECTIONS
- Marinate the chicken. Combine the ingredients for the marinade, pour into a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken, seal and slosh it around so that it coats evenly. Let the chicken marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 2 days (8 hours was great).
- SAUCE combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Adjust seasoning to taste. Make this ahead to refrigerate blends the flavours together better.
- CHICKEN Heat a large, deep skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Coat lightly with olive or veggie oil. Arrange the cutlets in one layer and do not move them until they're brown and don't want to stick anymore, 5-8 minutes. Flip, and brown well on the second side, which will take 4-5 minutes (if you're using chicken breasts, you will need to cook for longer as they are thicker or you can also tenderize them).
- RICE. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan, and heat it, then add the spices and rice and toast together for a minute, stirring. Add the stock and salt, and bring to a simmer; then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and let cook for about 15 minutes, until the water has absorbed and the rice is tender. Let it rest for 3-5 minutes (unless you're making ahead). Scoop half of it onto a serving platter.
- Combine the lettuce, tomatoes and onion in a large bowl to make the salad. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the hot sauce and harissa together to make your hot sauce. The sauces will be your dressings.
- To finish, chop the chicken into bite-sized, uneven pieces, then place the chopped chicken on the platter. Pile the salad in the remaining part of the platter. Dress the dish with sauce, to taste, garnish with cilantro. Serve with halved pitas.
