Chicken yassa is a delicious and comforting dish for Senegal. Consisting of braised bone-in chicken, and caramelized onions in a tangy marinade/sauce. It is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
What is Chicken Yassa?
Chicken Yassa a.k.a. “Poulet Yassa” is one of the most iconic dishes from the nation of Senegal. And it’s become so popular over the past decades that it can now be found throughout West Africa. Honestly, it’s just that good!
So how is chicken yassa made?
Well, it all starts by marinating pieces of chicken and sliced onions with a combination of ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar, oil, mustard, and often a few aromatics. Then the chicken is browned and the onions are caramelized in a pan to develop a rich flavor. And finally, the marinade is added to the pan with some additional liquid to braise all of these ingredients until super tender.
Trust me it’s a super delicious and comforting meal with a tangy, slightly sweet, and earthy flavor that everyone will enjoy!
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- How long should you marinate the chicken?: To ensure that the chicken is both flavorful and tender you should marinate it for at least 1 hour. But if you got the time I highly recommend that you let it marinate overnight, but no more than 24 hours). As that will really give the chicken an amazing flavor.
- What cut of chicken is best?: Honestly, any cut of chicken will work great in today’s dish. It doesn’t matter if it’s breast, thighs, legs, or even some combination of the three. The only thing that I do believe is necessary is that the chicken is bone-in because it will add a great amount of flavor to the dish.
- Serving suggestions: Chicken yassa is traditionally served over white rice so that it can soak up all of the delicious sauce. That being said other great options include cous cous and even mashed potatoes. And personally, I often like to round out the meal with a simple side salad or sauteed vegetable of choice.
- Storage: Chicken yassa like any braised dish makes excellent leftovers. Just make sure to store them in an air tight container in your fridge and they should last for at least 5 days.
Other West African Recipes You Might Enjoy
- Poisson Yassa, similar dish but made with fish instead of chicken
Chicken Yassa Recipe
Prep time: 2 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes
Servings: 3 to 4
Ingredients
3 Lbs of bone-in chicken pieces (breast, thighs, or legs)
4 Large onions, thinly sliced
The marinade:
½ Cup of lemon juice, from 2 large lemons
2 Tablespoons of vinegar (white, red wine, or apple cider)
1 Tablespoon of peanut oil, or any neutral flavored oil
2 Tablespoons of mustard, preferably Dijon
4 Cloves of garlic, minced
½ inch piece of ginger, minced
1 Teaspoon of salt, or more to taste
½ Teaspoon of black pepper, or more to taste
1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika (optional)
2 Bay leaves
For the rest of the dish:
2 Tablespoons of oil (vegetable, olive, or preferably peanut)
1 Cup of chicken stock or water
1 to 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers (optional)
¾ Cup of green olives (optional)
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Add all of the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl. Then use either a whisk or a fork to mix everything together until thoroughly combined. Add the chicken pieces and sliced onions to this bowl and toss them with the marinade. Cover the bowl and let it sit in your fridge for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Brown up the chicken: Remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade, but make sure to save the marinade & onions. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large walled pan, or Dutch oven and place it over medium heat. Add the pieces of chicken to the pan/Dutch oven and cook them for roughly 5 minutes on each side or until they have developed a nicely browned crust. Remove them from the pan/Dutch oven and set them aside on a plate.
- Caramelize the onions: Remove the sliced onions from the marinade, and add them to the same pan/Dutch oven you cooked the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are slightly caramelized.
- Return everything and let it cook: Deglaze the pan/Dutch oven with the reserved marinade, and chicken stock/water. Return the browned pieces of chicken and add the habanero pepper if using. Let the liquid come to a boil then reduce the heat so the liquid is at a simmer and let it cook covered with a lid for 20 to 30 minutes. If at any point the liquid reduces too much you can always add a splash or two of water. You will know that the dish is finished cooking when the chicken has an internal temperature of 165℉/74℃.
- Finish the dish: Add the olives to the pan/Dutch oven and stir everything together so that they heat through. Finally taste some of the sauce and add additional salt if needed.
- Serve the chicken yassa immediately and enjoy!
Chicken Yassa Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Lbs of bone-in chicken pieces breast, thighs, or legs
- 4 Large onions thinly sliced
The marinade:
- ½ Cup of lemon juice from 2 large lemons
- 2 Tablespoons of vinegar white, red wine, or apple cider
- 1 Tablespoon of peanut oil or any neutral flavored oil
- 2 Tablespoons of mustard preferably Dijon
- 4 Cloves of garlic minced
- ½ inch piece of ginger minced
- 1 Teaspoon of salt or more to taste
- ½ Teaspoon of black pepper or more to taste
- 1 Teaspoon of smoked paprika optional
- 2 Bay leaves
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 Tablespoons of oil vegetable, olive, or preferably peanut
- 1 Cup of chicken stock or water
- 1 to 2 Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers optional
- ¾ Cup of green olives optional
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Add all of the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl. Then use either a whisk or a fork to mix everything together until thoroughly combined. Add the chicken pieces and sliced onions to this bowl and toss them with the marinade. Cover the bowl and let it sit in your fridge for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Brown up the chicken: Remove the pieces of chicken from the marinade, but make sure to save the marinade & onions. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into a large walled pan, or Dutch oven and place it over medium heat. Add the pieces of chicken to the pan/Dutch oven and cook them for roughly 5 minutes on each side or until they have developed a nicely browned crust. Remove them from the pan/Dutch oven and set them aside on a plate.
- Caramelize the onions: Remove the sliced onions from the marinade, and add them to the same pan/Dutch oven you cooked the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the onions, stirring often, for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are slightly caramelized.
- Return everything and let it cook: Deglaze the pan/Dutch oven with the reserved marinade, and chicken stock/water. Return the browned pieces of chicken and add the habanero pepper if using. Let the liquid come to a boil then reduce the heat so the liquid is at a simmer and let it cook covered with a lid for 20 to 30 minutes. If at any point the liquid reduces too much you can always add a splash or two of water. You will know that the dish is finished cooking when the chicken has an internal temperature of 165℉/74℃.
- Finish the dish: Add the olives to the pan/Dutch oven and stir everything together so that they heat through. Finally taste some of the sauce and add additional salt if needed.
- Serve the chicken yassa immediately and enjoy!
