Yassa Poulet
Tangy, caramelized chicken marinated in lemon juice and mustard, slow-cooked with mountains of onions.
Ingredients
- •Whole chicken, cut into pieces
- •Onions (large quantity)
- •Lemon juice
- •Dijon mustard
- •Garlic
- •Scotch bonnet
- •Bay leaves
- •Thyme
- •Vegetable oil
- •Salt
- •White rice (for serving)
Instructions
Marinate overnight
Marinate chicken in lemon juice, mustard, garlic, scotch bonnet, bay leaves, thyme, and sliced onions for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
Remove and grill
Remove chicken from marinade. Grill or pan-fry over high heat to brown and char slightly. Set aside.
Cook onions
In a large pot, cook the marinated onions in oil for 20–25 minutes until deeply caramelized and jammy.
Finish sauce
Return chicken to the pot with the onions. Add remaining marinade and a little water. Cover and simmer 25 minutes.
Serve
Serve chicken and onion sauce over white rice.
Yassa Poulet is Senegal's most internationally recognized dish — a bold, tangy chicken preparation that has won admirers far beyond West Africa. Originating from the Casamance region in southern Senegal, yassa is built around a sharp marinade of lemon juice and Dijon mustard that tenderizes the chicken while developing a complex, pleasantly acidic flavor profile unlike any other West African dish.
The defining characteristic of yassa is its extraordinary quantity of onions. A proper yassa uses onions by the kilogram — far more than seem reasonable — which are first marinated with the chicken, then cooked separately in oil for 20-30 minutes until deeply caramelized and jammy. The chicken is briefly grilled to develop color and char before being returned to the onion pot, where everything simmers together into a rich, tangy, deeply savory sauce.
Yassa is eaten with white rice, and the sauce generously ladles over the top. The dish can also be made with fish (yassa au poisson) or lamb, but the chicken version is the most beloved. It travels well — making it popular as a party dish and at Senegalese restaurants worldwide — and is one of the most accessible entry points into Senegalese cuisine for newcomers.