Chicken Yassa – poulet-au-yassa

Enjoy the flavors of West Africa with this Senegalese Poulet Yassa made from Chicken pieces, marinated overnight with lots of onions, some mustard, and a bit of lemon juice. This dish is so easy to make, smells great, looks beautiful, and tastes delicious. If you are in the mood for an exotic dish try this one!

Chicken Yassa 

When you think about YASSA, what first comes to mind is ONIONS! Yes, onions are the foundation of the delicious recipe, but don’t let that scare you from making this dish. When you make it, you will see how well the onions complement the flavor of the Chicken. Trust me; Chicken Yassa will be unthinkable without Onions! You will be wowed!

A well-made Yassa chicken speaks for itself, but I will like to add that the more the onions, the better the Yassa.

What is Chicken Yassa?

Chicken Yassa or Poulet Yassa is one of the most popular traditional Senegalese dishes made with Chicken, caramelized onions, lemon, and a mixture of flavors and spices, which is typical of African cuisine.

Besides Yassa chicken, you can also make Yassa lamb – from lamb meat or Yassa Poisson (Yassa fish) from fish. 

How to make Yassa poulet in four easy steps:

• Step 1: Marinate the Chicken and Onion: Leave the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for 6 to 8 hours. If you can go overnight, that will be just fine. The longer, the better. The chicken gets its deep flavor from marinating, and this goes a long way in making the chicken more flavorful. Please be sure not to skip this step.
• Step 2: Brown the Chicken: Get the oil heated up and brown the chicken on both sides. You want the skin to be nicely browned and crispy.
• Step 3: Cook down the Onions for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on how caramelized you want the onions to be.
• Step 4: Combine everything: Add the browned chicken to the cooked down onions together with the leftover marinade and chicken stock. Cook further till done and serve over white rice.

If you are new to making African dishes, this is a good recipe to start with and you will be glad you did.

Other Delicious African Soups and stews

• Banga Soup – delicious Palm-nut Soup
• Okra soup – One-pot soup made with okra, spinach, and meat.
• Maafe – Easy Chicken Peanut Soup – one of our most favorite soup! You will love it!!
• Stewed Spinach – Delicious stew made with spinach.
• Ogbono soup – Made with wild mango seeds
• Ewedu – Viscous soup made with Jute leaves
• Chicken Pepper Soup – Delicious Spicy soup made with Chicken.
• Goat meat Pepper Soup – Another one you should try!
• Nigerian Chicken Stew – Delicious stew with a twist to the traditional. You will love it!

Note:

• Please don’t skip the onions, lemon, and hot pepper. You will be missing out a whole lot if you do.

Senegalese Poulet Yassa

Enjoy the flavors of West Africa with this Senegalese Poulet Yassa made from chicken pieces marinated overnight with lots of onions, some mustard, and a bit of lemon juice.

4.85 from 19 votes

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Course: Lunch/Dinner

Cuisine: African, West African

Keyword: chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Marinating Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 7 hours

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 207.6kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients for marinating the Chicken

• 1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup peanut oil or any other cooking oil - divided
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 2 teaspoons bouillon powder or 2 cubes
• 1 habanero finely chopped - for added heat
• 1 teaspoon ginger spice
• 1-1½ tsp salt or to taste
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 6 pieces chicken thighs
• 4 onions thinly sliced into half-moons - preferably white/yellow onions
• 2 Bay leaves

Yassa Poulet

• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock or water
• 3/4 cup green olives optional
• Parsley for garnish if desired

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Prepare the marinade by combining the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, 2 tbsp oil, minced garlic, bouillon powder, minced habanero, ginger powder, salt, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, and add the onion slices, bay leaves, and the marinade. Mix well, then cover with a tight-fitting lid or a plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight.
• When ready to cook, remove chicken pieces from the marinade (save the marinade).
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of oil to a pan, and brown the chicken on both sides for 7-10 minutes on medium heat (don't crowd the pan). Remove from heat and set aside.
• Scoop out the onions from the marinade (don't discard the marinade) and fry the onions until they are well reduced - about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Add the browned chicken, remaining marinade, and chicken stock or water to the onion-based cooking pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for 15 to 20 more minutes or until the chicken is tender and the sauce is well reduced to your preference.
• Stir in the olives and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
• Garnish with parsley if desired and serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT1mdPyiqdo

Nutrition

Calories: 207.6kcal | Carbohydrates: 12.4g | Protein: 2.6g | Fat: 17.3g | Saturated Fat: 2.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9.4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 1.9mg | Sodium: 1121.4mg | Potassium: 216.4mg | Fiber: 2.5g | Sugar: 4.6g | Vitamin A: 98.2IU | Vitamin C: 16.8mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 0.7mg

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If you make this Chicken Yassa Recipe, I’d love to see pictures of your creations on Instagram or Facebook. #cheflolaskitchen