Best West African Chicken Yassa Recipes

SENEGALESE POULET YASSA

Steps:

• 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.

CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, mustard, lemon zest, chile, black pepper, cayenne and salt to taste in a large nonreactive bowl or other container. Stir in the onions and bay leaf. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, turning the chicken in the marinade if it's not completely covered, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, add the chicken to the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Add the allspice to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Spoon the solids from the marinade into the pot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved liquid and chicken, making sure to spoon the sauce over the chicken to coat. Add about 1 cup of water to the pot. Cover and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
• Place the chicken on a serving platter. Spoon the onions and sauce from the pan over the chicken. (Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 5 minutes on medium heat if there is too much liquid; it should be a rich sauce.) Season with salt and pepper and serve with the rice.

CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Prepare a marinade of the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, chile, and 4 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, be sure they are well coated, and marinate them for at least 2 hours. Preheat the broiler to the highest setting. Remove the chicken pieces and reserve the marinade. Place the chicken pieces on the broiler rack and grill them briefly until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove the onions from the marinade and sauté them in the remaining oil. Cook them slowly until tender, then add the reserved marinade. When the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the chicken pieces. Add the water and simmer the Yassa over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Serve hot, over white rice. Yassa can also be made with fish substituted for the chicken. In the Casamance region of Senegal, where the dish originated, Monkey Yassa, is considered a delicacy, but you're on your own there.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Mix the lemon juice, the vinegar, half the oil, the onions and pour on the chicken pieces in a bowl.
• Marinate for 8 hours to overnight.
• Remove the chicken and the onions from the marinade.
• Brown the chicken on both sides.
• Fry the onions in the remaining oil for a few minutes.
• Add the marinade, thyme, hot pepper, water and bay leaves and simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Return the chicken to the sauce and cook until done and tender.
• Serve chicken and sauce over rice or couscous.

POULET YASSA (CHICKEN YASSA) FROM AFRICA

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients (except the optional vegetables), the more onions the better, and allow chicken to marinate in a glass dish in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
• Remove chicken from the marinade, but save the marinade.
• Cook according to one of the following methods.
• Cooking method 1: Grill chicken over a charcoal fire (or bake it in a hot oven) until chicken is lightly browned but not done.
• Cooking method 2: Sauté chicken for a few minutes on each side in hot oil in a frypan.
• While chicken is browning: Remove onions from marinade and sauté them in a large saucepan for a few minutes.
• Add remaining marinade and the optional vegetables and bring to a slow boil, cooking the marinade into a sauce.
• Reduce heat.
• Add chicken to the sauce, cover and simmer until chicken is done.
• Serve with Rice, Couscous (couscous with chickpeas and raisins is very good), or Fufu.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Place the chicken in a bowl and squeeze in the juice of 1½ lemons.
• Add the garlic and chilli.
• Mix to coat the chicken well and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat a hot barbecue, grill, griddle or dry frying pan.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and brush it with oil.
• Place the chicken, skin-side towards the heat, on the barbecue, under the grill, on the griddle or in the pan, and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, until well colored and cooked through, but be careful not to let it dry out.
• While the chicken cooks, cut the onions into medium-thin slices.
• Heat a few drops of oil in a deep frying pan and fry the onions with the thyme for about 5-8 minutes until nice and brown, allowing their sweetness to come out.
• Remove the onions from the pan and set aside on a warm plate.
• Pour the juice of 1 lemon and the chicken stock into the pan, bring to the boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Allow it to reduce slightly, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to get up all the taste.
• Arrange the chicken on a plate, top with the onions and pour the lemon sauce over it.
• Garnish with the remaining lemon half and serve.

WEST AFRICAN CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a heavy pan and fry chicken and onion until golden.
• Add curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
• Add remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.