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Halal Cart Chicken Salad

4.7

(20)

A Halal Cart Chicken Salad on a beige plate with water glass and pepper mill off to the side
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Emilie Fosnocht, prop styling by Gerri Williams

Transform a store-bought rotisserie chicken into a spiced, crunchy, fresh, and creamy dinner salad with this recipe, reminiscent of a street food favorite. Iceberg lettuce provides a perfectly crisp and sturdy bed for spice-oil-tossed chicken, salty pita chips, and a rich yogurt dressing.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    20 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground turmeric
3 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided
4 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (from about 1 lb.)
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
¼ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp. sugar
Freshly ground pepper
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1 large head of iceberg lettuce
1 cup salted pita chips

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add ½ tsp. dried oregano, ½ tsp. ground coriander, ½ tsp. ground cumin, and ½ tsp. ground turmeric and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Quickly transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in 1 garlic clove, finely grated, and 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice. Add 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (from about 1 lb.) and toss to coat; season with kosher salt. Set aside.

    Step 2

    Whisk 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ tsp. sugar, remaining 2 garlic cloves, finely grated, 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl to combine; season dressing with freshly ground pepper.

    Step 3

    Combine 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, and 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes in a small bowl. Season with salt; toss to coat.

    Step 4

    Cut 1 large head of iceberg lettuce into 6 wedges; cut each wedge into 3 pieces. Pour three fourths of dressing on a platter; top with lettuce and reserved chicken, then onion mixture and 1 cup salted pita chips. Drizzle remaining dressing over and season generously with pepper.

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