Yassa Poulet — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Chicken pieces marinated in abundant lemon juice and mustard, then braised with caramelized onions until tender and tangy. This West African classic is a beloved everyday dish in southern Mauritania.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
6 large onions, thinly sliced
Juice of 6 lemons
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
Rice for serving
Green olives for garnish

Instructions

1 Marinate chicken pieces in lemon juice, mustard, garlic, salt, and pepper for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
2 Grill or pan-sear the marinated chicken until golden brown on both sides. Set aside.
3 In a large skillet, slowly caramelize all the sliced onions in oil over medium-low heat for 25 minutes until very soft.
4 Add the marinade liquid, bay leaves, and scotch bonnet to the onions. Simmer for 10 minutes.
5 Nestle the browned chicken pieces into the onion sauce. Cover and braise for 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
6 Serve over steamed rice with green olives and the rich onion sauce ladled over everything.

Did You Know?

The secret to great yassa is an almost absurd amount of onions — the onion-to-chicken ratio should be at least three to one.