SHELIA'S CHICKEN YASSA

Shelia's Chicken Yassa image

Yassa is originally from Senegal but is very much a part of the Gambian cuisine experience. It can be prepared with fish or chicken. It is marinated overnight with lots of lemons, spices, pepper, and onions and then traditionally cooked the next day on a charcoal grill. I often say yassa is a lemon-pepper and onion lover's delight.

Provided by CookingWithShelia

Categories African Recipes

Time 9h40m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

⅓ cup lemon juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
3 pounds skinless chicken leg quarters
2 medium lemons, halved
¼ cup olive oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced diagonally
1 teaspoon minced garlic
⅓ cup lemon juice
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup pitted green olives
3 cups cooked white rice

Steps:

Stir together lemon juice, oil, mustard, and garlic for marinade in a small bowl. Stir together black pepper, cayenne, lemon-pepper seasoning, and salt in another small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over chicken and transfer to a large zip-top plastic bag. Add lemon juice mixture. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Chill up to 8 hours or overnight.
Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect grilling, lighting burners on one side only or pushing lit coals to one side. Heat grill to medium heat, 325 to 375 degrees F (165 to 190 degrees C). Lightly oil the grill grate.
Transfer chicken to unlit side of grill, discarding marinade. Grill, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest parts registers 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 40 to 50 minutes.
Meanwhile, grill lemon halves, cut-sides down, over lit side of the grill until grill marks appear, about 8 minutes.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in onions, bell peppers, carrot, garlic, and lemon juice; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and vegetables are tender and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add chicken broth; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in olives.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Arrange grilled chicken over vegetables in the skillet.
Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve over cooked rice with grilled lemon halves.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 951.4 calories, Carbohydrate 58.3 g, Cholesterol 214.8 mg, Fat 50.5 g, Fiber 7 g, Protein 69.2 g, SaturatedFat 9.6 g, Sodium 1493.9 mg, Sugar 7.6 g