Chicken Yassa Recipe

Ingredients

For the Marinade & Chicken

• 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks work best)
• 4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (~from 3-4 lemons)
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves

For the Braise

• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 habanero pepper, pierced with a knife
• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives, pitted

Marinate Everything Together

In a very large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, coriander, black pepper, and smoked paprika. It will take a minute for the mustard to fully emulsify into the marinade.

Add the chicken pieces and all of the sliced onions to the bowl. Use your hands to toss everything together, making sure the chicken and every strand of onion are coated. Tuck the bay leaves into the mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but overnight is significantly better.

Brown the Chicken, Then Caramelize Onions

When ready to cook, pull the chicken pieces out of the marinade, letting excess liquid and onions drip off. Set the chicken aside. Do not discard the marinade and onions; you need all of it.

In a large Dutch oven, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Place the chicken pieces skin-side down and brown them for about 5 minutes per side. You’re just looking for a deep golden-brown color, not to cook it through. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate.

Add all the marinated onions and their liquid to the same pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes. The onions will first release a lot of liquid and then slowly start to caramelize and turn jammy.

Simmer It All

Pour the chicken stock into the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

Nestle the browned chicken pieces back into the onions. Add the pierced habanero pepper to the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer.

Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through to 165F.

Finish the Dish

Stir in the pitted Castelvetrano olives and let them warm through for a few minutes. Fish out the bay leaves and the habanero pepper before serving.

Taste the sauce. The olives add a good amount of salt, but you may need to adjust it. Serve hot over rice.

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Chicken Yassa

This is the national dish of Senegal; it’s essentially chicken braised in a massive quantity of caramelized onions with a sharp mustard and lemon sauce. The number of onions will seem wrong, but they cook down into a jammy, sweet base for the sauce. Marinating the chicken and onions together overnight is not optional; it’s where all the flavor is developed.

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Marinating Time 12 hours hours

Total Time 13 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

For the Marinade & Chicken

• 3 lbs bone-in thighs and drumsticks work best, skin-on chicken pieces
• 4 large yellow onions thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice ~from 3-4 lemons
• 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
• 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 bay leaves

For the Braise

• 2 tbsp avocado oil
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 habanero pepper pierced with a knife
• 1 cup Castelvetrano olives pitted

Method

• Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, olive oil, garlic, salt, coriander, pepper, and paprika in large bowl.
• Add chicken pieces and sliced onions, toss to coat. Add bay leaves.
• Marinate 4 hours or overnight in refrigerator.
• Remove chicken from marinade, reserve marinade and onions.
• Brown chicken in hot avocado oil over medium-high heat, 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken.
• Add marinated onions with liquid to pot. Cook on medium-low 15-20 minutes until caramelized.
• Add chicken stock, scraping bottom of pot.
• Return chicken to pot with pierced habanero. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
• Cover and cook 25-30 minutes until chicken reaches 165F.
• Add olives and warm through. Remove bay leaves and habanero.
• Serve hot over rice.

Notes

Best made with chicken thighs and drumsticks. Adjust salt after adding olives if needed.