African · Lunch · Dinner
Chicken Yassa
Poulet Yassa
Tender marinated chicken simmered in a tangy, slow-cooked lemon and onion sauce with a gentle kick of scotch bonnet. This lighter Senegalese favourite uses skinless thighs and less oil, served over nutty brown rice.
- Prep
- 80 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 130 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 42% · Fat 28% · Protein 30%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 700 g (about 8 thighs)boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 4 large600 gonions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup (about 4 lemons)120 gfresh lemon juice
- 1 tsplemon zest
- 2 tbsp30 gDijon mustard
- 4 cloves12 ggarlic, minced
- 1 small10 gscotch bonnet pepper, pierced or finely chopped
- 2 tbsp27 gpeanut oil
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tspground black pepper
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 cup240 gwater for the sauce
- 1 cup190 gbrown long-grain rice
- 2 1/2 cups600 gwater for the rice
- 1/3 cup40 ggreen olives, pitted (optional)
Steps
- 1
In a large bowl, mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, mustard, garlic, black pepper, salt and 1 tbsp of the peanut oil.
- 2
Add the chicken and sliced onions, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to overnight).
- 3
Rinse the brown rice, then bring it to a boil with the 2 1/2 cups of water, cover and simmer on low for about 40 minutes until tender; rest off the heat, covered.
- 4
Lift the chicken out of the marinade, shaking off the onions; keep the onions and marinade.
- 5
Grill or sear the chicken in a hot non-stick pan for 3-4 minutes per side until well browned, then set aside.
- 6
Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onions from the marinade with a splash of the liquid.
- 7
Cook the onions, stirring often, for about 15-20 minutes until soft and golden.
- 8
Pour in the remaining marinade and the 1 cup of water, then add the bay leaves and scotch bonnet.
- 9
Return the chicken to the pot, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the chicken reaches 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
- 10
Stir in the olives if using, then taste and adjust salt and lemon.
- 11
Remove the bay leaves and the whole scotch bonnet if left whole, then serve the chicken and sauce over the brown rice.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks instead of boneless, simmering a little longer until they reach 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
- Swap the brown rice for white long-grain rice and cook it for about 15 to 18 minutes for a quicker side.
- Use sunflower or vegetable oil instead of peanut oil if you are cooking for someone with a peanut allergy.
- Replace the scotch bonnet with half a jalapeño, or leave it out entirely, for a milder sauce.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover chicken and sauce within 2 hours in a covered container and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. Cool and chill the rice quickly, keep it no more than a day or so, and reheat it until steaming hot all the way through.
Make ahead
Marinate the chicken and onions up to the night before, covered in the fridge. You can also cook the whole dish a day ahead, since the sauce tastes even better once the flavours settle; just reheat gently until steaming hot.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: MustardPeanutsSulphites
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (635 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 524 kcal | 83 kcal |
| Protein | 40.4 g | 6.4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54.4 g | 8.6 g |
| of which sugars | 7.7 g | 1.2 g |
| Fiber | 5 g | 0.8 g |
| Fat | 16 g | 2.5 g |
| of which saturated | 3.5 g | 0.6 g |
| Sodium | 849 mg | 134 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
