Chicken Yassa
Sign in to rate this recipe.
The Tale of Chicken Yassa
Yassa is often traced to the Casamance region of southern Senegal among the Jola people, with a popular, if hard to verify, legend crediting its onion-and-lemon marinade to a resourceful woman improvising with limited ingredients. It spread across Senegambia, including the Gambia, becoming one of West Africa's most recognizable dishes, prized for its tangy, mustard-sharp onion sauce.
Ingredients
Scale:· 6 servings
- 3 lb chicken pieces
- 4 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup lemon or lime juice
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 whole scotch bonnet chili
- Bay leaves
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- 1Marinate the chicken in lemon juice, mustard, garlic, half the oil, salt, and pepper along with the sliced onions for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- 2Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the onions and liquid, and grill or pan-sear until browned on all sides.
- 3In a pot, cook the reserved onions in the remaining oil over low heat until very soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes.
- 4Add the marinade liquid, chili, and bay leaves, and bring to a simmer.
- 5Return the chicken to the pot and simmer 20-25 minutes until fully cooked and tender.
- 6Serve over rice with the tangy onion sauce spooned generously on top.
Want Cook Mode, your own recipe photos, and unlimited calculators?
Get Home Cooking ProComments
Loading comments…
Sign in to leave a comment.