Yassa Chicken (Senegal)

Chicken yassa is a traditional Senegalese dish, known for its unique blend of chicken marinated in lemon and mustard. The chicken pieces are browned, then simmered with caramelized onions and a lemony sauce. This dish is often served with white rice. Easy to prepare, yassa is a true culinary journey to the heart of West Africa.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time 45 minutes

Total time 1 hr 5 mins

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 6

Special diet: suitable for gluten-free diet

Description

Ingredients

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (or chicken thighs)
4 onions
4 lemons (for the juice)
2 cloves of garlic
1 chili pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons of mustard
4 tablespoons of oil (peanut oil preferred)
1 bouillon cube (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1
Marinade:
2
In a large bowl, squeeze the lemons to extract the juice.
3
Add the mustard, crushed garlic, crumbled stock cube (if using), salt, pepper and chili. Mix.
4
Add the chicken pieces to the marinade. Mix well to coat the chicken and leave to marinate for at least 2 hours (ideally overnight) in the refrigerator.
5
Cooking the chicken:
6
Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and brown them in a large pan with a little oil until they are nicely browned.
7
Set the chicken aside and add the sliced onions to the same pan. Fry until translucent.
8
Final cooking:
9
Return the browned chicken to the pan with the onions. Pour the marinade into the pan, adding a little water if necessary to create a sauce. Simmer over low heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melded.
10
Serve :
11
Serve the chicken yassa hot, accompanied by white rice or a vegetable mafe .
12
Chicken Yassa is an institution; it's a truly delicious recipe.