Poulet Yassa (Chicken Yassa)

A traditional chicken dish from the Casamance region of Senegal, Poulet Yassa (Chicken Yassa), is one of the most famous African recipes and is found in Senegalese restaurants the world over. For best results let the chicken marinate overnight; in Africa, this is essential to tenderize the sometimes tougher African fowl. It is also very good when made with fish, see: Poisson Yassa. For the simplest yassa, make the marinade from just oil, lemon juice, onions, and a little mustard.

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What you need

one-half cup peanut oil (or any cooking oil)
one chicken, cut into serving-sized pieces
four (or six, or more!) onions, cut up
eight tablespoons lemon juice
eight tablespoons vinegar (cider vinegar is good)
one bay leaf
four cloves minced garlic
two tablespoons Dijon mustard (optional)
one or two tablespoons Arome Maggi® sauce (or Maggi® cubes and water), or soy sauce (optional)
chile pepper, cleaned and finely chopped (optional)
cayenne pepper or red pepper, black pepper, salt (to taste)
a small cabbage, cut into chunks (optional)
a few carrots, cut into chunks (optional)

What you do

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 and cook at a boil for ten minutes. Cook the marinade into a sauce. Reduce heat.
Add chicken to the sauce, cover and simmer until chicken is done. Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness.
Serve with Rice, Couscous (couscous with chickpeas and raisins is very good), or Fufu.
Serve Ginger Beer or Green Tea with Mint with or after the meal.

More about Poulet Yassa in the Rare Recipes pages:

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African Proverb

Anka berre ko, enya de. (Oji) : A lemon that grows in ripening, is not agreeable (i.e., does not taste well). N.B. -- A thing must be mature before all its good qualities appear.
(from: Wit and Wisdom from West Africa, Richard Francis Burton)

Other African proverbs

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