Wash the produce
Rinse the yellow onion, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, fresh parsley, and the whole lemon juice lemons under cool water, then pat everything dry. Dry produce cuts more cleanly, and dry herbs keep the sauce from getting watery.
Prep the ingredients
Trim the boneless skinless chicken thighs if needed. Dice the washed yellow onion, thinly slice the red onion, quarter the cherry tomatoes, and slice the cucumber into rounds, then cut the rounds in half. Mince the garlic cloves, keeping one pile for the chicken, one for the rice, and one for the sauce. Finely chop the parsley, and juice the lemons if you have not already.
Marinate the chicken
In a large bowl, combine the chicken with paprika, cumin, onion powder, coriander, allspice, turmeric, black pepper, salt, olive oil, some of the minced garlic, the lemon juice, and chicken bouillon. Toss very well so every piece is evenly coated, then let it sit for 15 minutes while you get the pan ready and organize the remaining ingredients.
Heat the pan
Set a large heavy skillet or sauté pan with a lid over medium-high heat and add a small drizzle of olive oil. Let the pan heat until the oil looks loose and shimmering; the pan should be properly hot before the chicken goes in so it sears instead of steaming.
Sear the chicken
Add the marinated chicken to the hot pan in batches so the pieces are not crowded. Cook the first side for 6 minutes, flip, and cook the second side for 6 minutes more, until the chicken is deeply browned and cooked through. Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and repeat with the remaining pieces, adding a little more olive oil only if the pan looks dry.
Cook the rice
Lower the heat to medium-low and add butter to the same pan. Stir in the diced yellow onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add more minced garlic along with a little more turmeric, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. Add the basmati rice and stir for about 2 minutes to coat and lightly toast the grains. Pour in the hot water mixed with more chicken bouillon, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring it to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
Toss the salad
While the rice cooks, combine the sliced red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, a pinch of salt, black pepper, sumac, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl. Toss until everything is evenly coated, then set the salad aside so the onion softens slightly and the flavors mingle.
Whisk the sauce
In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, plain Greek yogurt, the remaining minced garlic, the chopped parsley, a pinch of salt, black pepper, and lemon juice until smooth and creamy. The sauce should be thick but spoonable.
Assemble the bowls
Fluff the cooked rice with a fork. Slice the chicken if you like, or leave the pieces whole. Spoon the rice into bowls, top with the chicken, add a generous pile of the tomato-cucumber salad, and finish with plenty of the garlicky yogurt sauce. Serve right away while the rice is hot and the salad is fresh and crisp.





















