When it comes to local, seasonal, and globally inspired eating around New Paltz, you can’t beat Main Course Restaurant + Market. Founded in 1990, Main Course has been delivering the delicious ever since, with a menu full of delightful offerings: specials exploring cuisines from around the world, chopped salads, panini sandwiches, and house-made desserts, served in casually elegant styles. In the Market you’ll find grab-’n’-go meals and treats alongside local specialty items like honey, chocolates, and hot sauces.
Chef and co-owner Matt Gaines is sharing something delightful with us: his recipe for Street Cart Chicken, a dish with global DNA, bright fresh flavors, and added inspiration straight from the streets of New York.
“The inspiration for this dish goes back to my college days in Berkeley, California, where my friends and I were regulars at a neighborhood restaurant called House of Kabob,” Gaines remembers. “Their Chicken & Rice Plate was the perfect combination of spit-roasted chicken shawarma, fragrant turmeric rice, cooling yogurt sauce, and a bright Middle Eastern-style salad. It was simple, comforting food that left a lasting impression on me.”
When Gaines came to the East Coast, he discovered the street cart version: distinct, yet equally outstanding. “After moving to New York, I discovered the city's own iconic take on the dish, served from the aromatic halal carts that line the streets of Manhattan,” he says. “While distinctly different from what I remembered in California, it
When it comes to local, seasonal, and globally inspired eating around New Paltz, you can’t beat Main Course Restaurant + Market.
a complete meal by main course: nyc street cart chicken
With Garlic-Yogurt Sauce, Turmeric Rice, and Tomato-Cucumber Salad
Serves 4
1. street cart chicken
Chicken Ingredients
• 2 pounds boneless, skinless
chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Marinade Ingredients
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground
black pepper
directions for chicken
1. Season the chicken lightly with the salt.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, coriander, oregano, Aleppo pepper, salt, and black pepper.
3. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
4. Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, about 5–6 minutes per side.
5. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing into bite-sized pieces.
2. garlic-yogurt sauce
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup peeled cucumber, chopped (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill (optional)
directions for sauce
1. In a regular blender, or an immersion blender, combine mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cucumber (if using), salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
2. Add parsley and dill (if using) and pulse briefly until incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. turmeric rice
• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 3/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
directions for rice
1. Heat butter or olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in turmeric and cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Add rice and stir to coat.
4. tomato-cucumber salad
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 English cucumber, quartered length-wise and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss well.
bringing it all together
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1. Divide rice among four plates or shallow bowls. Arrange a handful of shredded romaine alongside rice. Top rice with sliced chicken.
• Mild hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot or your favorite, for serving
2. Generously drizzle garlic–yogurt sauce over chicken, rice, and lettuce. Spoon tomato–cucumber salad over the lettuce and partially over the chicken. Finish with hot sauce to taste.
cocktail: burnt honey paloma by main course, new paltz
Serves 1
ingredients
• 2 oz tequila (or 1 oz tequila, 1 oz mezcal)
• 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice
• 1/2 oz fresh lime juice
• 1 oz caramelized honey syrup(recipe below)
• Splash of seltzer
• Garnish with fresh grapefruit
directions
1. In a cocktail shaker, combine tequila, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and syrup. Add lots of ice and shake until cocktail shaker is frosty.
2. Strain into a highball glass over fresh ice.
3. Top with seltzer and give it a quick stir.
4. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.
Caramelized Honey Syrup
• 1 cup local honey (Russell Farms is our favorite)
• 3/4 cup water
1. Cook honey over medium low heat until it boils. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Remove from the heat and slowly and carefully add water while stirring.
3. Stir until combined and let cool completely.
captured that same magic: humble ingredients transformed into something deeply satisfying.”
His love for the dish moved him to incorporate it into Main Course, where it’s won legions of new fans. “We feature rotating lunch and dinner specials that give us the opportunity to explore cuisines from around the world and share the dishes that have inspired us over the years. Street Cart Chicken & Rice is one of those. We introduced it as a lunch special nearly eight years ago, and it became an instant favorite. Whenever it appears on the menu, our biggest challenge is making enough before it sells out. Even today, customers tell me they check our daily specials online just to see if it’s making an appearance.”
Street Cart Chicken fans who are also VISITvortex readers, you’re in luck; here’s the version that sells out, so you can make your own whenever the spirit strikes. And do stop in at Main Course any time they’re open to enjoy the love in every bite.
Main course restaurant + market
175 Main St., New Paltz
845-255-2600, maincoursecatering.com
