Halal Cart Salad

Name: Halal Cart Salad
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Tanzanian
Ingredients: 1½ pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (4 to 6)*; ¼ cup (60 ml) plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided; 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed; Freshly cracked black pepper; 1 cup (240 ml) plain whole-milk yogurt; ¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise; 3 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided; 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice,* divided; 1 small red onion, thinly sliced; 1½ cups (220 g) cherry tomatoes, halved; ½ teaspoon dried oregano*; ½ teaspoon ground coriander*; ½ teaspoon ground cumin*; ½ teaspoon ground turmeric*; 1 cup (60 g) salted pita chips,* crushed; Cholula or Valentina hot sauce, optional, for serving; Cholula or Valentina hot sauce, optional, for serving; Chicken thighs, use any cut of boneless, skinless chicken; Chicken thighs, use any cut of boneless, skinless chicken; Sugar, use ¼ teaspoon honey or maple syrup; Sugar, use ¼ teaspoon honey or maple syrup; Sugar, use ¼ teaspoon honey or maple syrup; Lemon juice, use lime juice, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar; Lemon juice, use lime juice, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar; Lemon juice, use lime juice, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar; Lemon juice, use lime juice, red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar; Spices, use 2 teaspoons of a dry spice blend or za’atar; Spices, use 2 teaspoons of a dry spice blend or za’atar; Spices, use 2 teaspoons of a dry spice blend or za’atar; Iceberg lettuce, use 3 medium romaine hearts

Preparation info

Serves
4 to 6

Difficulty
Medium
Ready in
1 hr

Appears in

Third Culture Cooking

By Zaynab Issa

Published 2025

About

New York City’s halal cart has become a genre of its own. Adel’s Famous Halal Food, on 49th Street and 6th Avenue, is my favorite halal food cart in the city. Their chicken and rice platter features a generous portion of seasoned rice, topped with marinated chopped chicken, salad, grilled pita, hot sauce, and a lot of white sauce. As with many things (apart from my career), TikTok has ruined it for me, and a trip to Adel’s now includes a one-hour or more wait time. To satisfy the craving on

Ingredients

Sub-Saharan Africa
Americas
Tanzania
United States
New York
Dinner
Main course
Low carb
High protein

Ingredients

Method