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Chicken Yassa
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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
Cook Time 1 hour
Marinating Time 12 hours
Total Time 13 hours 20 minutes

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.