When I first heard about this chicken yassa recipe, I was really skeptical about the amount of onion called for in the marinade and sauce. I mean, seriously… four onions? Good grief!
I’m glad I took a leap of faith and tried it out, because this chicken is delicious and the onions totally make the dish.
You’ll want to plan a head when you make this, because the yassa chicken needs to marinate in the onion-lemon-vinegar mixture at least 8 hours, or overnight. The lemon juice and vinegar totally take the bite out of the onions, then it all cooks down into a completely delectable sauce that is to-die-for.
As if by magic, some of the onions just melt right into the yassa sauce, while other pieces remain intact to give the dish a bit of texture. It’s so, so good.
I served mine with fluffy Basmati rice, but a side of sauteed leafy greens (spinach, kale, etc.) would be lovely.
I wanted to make sweet potatoes to go with this poulet yassa recipe, but it turns out that the husband hates sweet potatoes. He also let me know that he’s told me that several times, yet I keep making them…. so evidently I just haven’t been listening to him. Whoops.
The best way to cut your chicken breasts into two thin pieces is to place your hand on the top of the breast, then use your other hand to cut through the breast while keeping the blade parallel to your work surface. Alternatively, you could pound out the chicken breast into one large flat piece, then cut that in half down the middle.
Either way, the point is to get the chicken breasts to be in two thin pieces, rather than one large piece. It will cook faster and more evenly this way.
Here’s the Poulet Yassa Recipe!
Poulet Yassa Recipe (Senegalese Chicken Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup peanut oil - or vegetable oil
- 3 boneless - skinless chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally to make two thin fillets
- 4 large yellow onions - roughly chopped
- 8 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 8 Tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 Tbsp. Dijon or stone-ground mustard
- 1 jalapeno pepper - seeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients except for the last 2 Tbsp. of oil in a large zip-close bag and allow chicken to marinate in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight. When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag, but save the marinade.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil once hot. Sauté chicken for two minutes on each side. Remove, and set aside on a plate.
- Use a slotted spoon to scoop the onions out of the marinade bag, add to the hot pan and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining marinade and bring to a boil. Cook at a boil for ten minutes.
- Continue to cook the marinade until it becomes a sauce (about 20 minutes). Reduce heat to medium, then return the chicken and drippings to the sauce, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through (about another 10-15 minutes). Serve with rice.
Excellent recipe. I used chicken thighs instead of breasts and it was amazing
I am looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend. Would it be a sin if I cut up chicken thighs in chunks instead? Also, I am thinking of adding chick peas as a starch as I try and stay away from rice as much as possible. Thanks again and looking forward to this.
Hi Parker,
Chicken thighs and chick peas will be fine. Make it yours!
– Linda
This is A. MAZ. ING. I used Jalapeno olive oil so it was a bit hotter which I really liked. Thank you for this recipe !
Amy,
Thank you for sharing your comments and adaptation.
– Linda
Anetta,
I tried this recipe tonight. It came out way too tart. I think the 8 tbsp of cider vinegar might be a tad too much.
Cheers,
Arnab
Hi Arnab – I haven’t had that problem with this recipe, perhaps your vinegar is stronger than mine. What brand are you using? I’m using Braggs.
is cider vinegar the same as apple cider vinegar? Also, does this dish taste primarily like mustard? I really dont like mustard but your recipe looks amazing!
Yep, cider vinegar/apple cider vinegar… same thing as far as I’m concerned! If you’re sensitive about mustard, go with the stone-ground instead of dijon 🙂
I grew up in Senegal and this is my go-to recipe for Yassa. I’ve looked at a lot of recipes on the internet and this comes the closest and easiest to the authentic dish! Every family has their own spin on classics, and in our family we always include olives and carrots in our yassa. Also, I add a few more onions and extra dijon. 🙂 I’ve got some marinating right now….dinner tomorrow night will be a treat!
This is a favorite around our house using chicken thighs instead of breasts. I’ve been wondering lately if this could be cooked in a crock pot/slow cooker. Any thoughts on that?
I don’t see why not! I’d just make sure to brown the chicken first 🙂
Hi! This looks great; I’m planning on making it this week. Could you give me an estimate of the amount of chicken needed in pounds? Thank you!
I’d say about a pound and a half 🙂
Hello! This looks great and I plan on making it this week. Can you give me a rough estimate of the weight needed for the chicken (i.e. 2 lbs)? Since chicken breast size can vary a lot I want to make sure I have the right ratio of marinade. Thank you!!
I’d say about 1 1/2 pounds!
thanks for the recipe, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I made it and my friends loved it.In fact, I just made it today again and I added some cabbage to it, crunchy addition.Thanks
Ooh, I love that idea! Cabbage is so yummy.
At any point do you at water or chicken stock cause there is not enough liquid to simmer it for 35 minutes :|, either the chicken will absord it the marinade or the onions…..
Hi, Yaro! When you marinate the chicken in the onion mixture, the onions sweat out their liquid and provide enough to cook the chicken.
I have been trawling through the net to find a recipe that looks like the Yassa I had in Gambia – this looks spot on. Can’t wait to try it out!
Awesome, Nicola!! It’s super delicious – let me know how you like it!
I spent every summer of my childhood in Senegal, and yassa was one of my favorite dishes. It’s a lot harder to find now that I’m living in Iowa (imagine that), but I made your recipe, tasted it, and started crying. Thank you.
Seth – this is so amazing to hear!! Thank you for sharing, it really means a lot to me 🙂
This was actually quite remarkable. How to put it… zesty spicy fresh at the core but a little savory rounding it out. I cut the oil with a little bit of unrefined sesame oil (1 tbsp. it’s what I had) for a nuttier kick since refined peanut or vegetable oils are rather neutral. I also used 2/3rds the total oil, deglazed after searing w/ white wine before adding the scooped onion and wilted some spinach in the last couple minutes while simmering. Also after serving on a bed of rice, a little salt went a long way.
Thanks! That was fun.
I’m glad you liked it, Praxis! Your alterations sound really fun 🙂
I lived in Senegal for a few months and I LOVED the yassa
my host mom made. I’ve been looking for a way to make it again so I
will definitely try this out!
Awesome, Rachel!! I hope this recipe hits the spot for you 🙂
this sounds amazing. i’m always looking for healthy chicken dishes. definitely have to try it.
Thanks so much! Let me know how you like it 🙂