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Yassa Poulet

A popular dish in West Africa, this has been adapted to provide smaller tastes to a large group (cutting chicken small instead of leaving large). We didn't add the carrots last time, but we wish that we had so have included them here. If you are making it for full meals, you can use bone-in chicken (or other meat!) and it will save you some time in cooking and separating from the marinade.
Adjust the timing of chicken in the marinade per the size of the cut. If small, marinating for 30 minutes is fine and probably no more than 1 hour.
Traditionally served with rice or couscous, French bread was recommended as a good picnic version (and not uncommon in Mali).
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
1 hour
CourseMain Course
CuisineWest African
KeywordMalian, Picnic
Servings12

Equipment

  • large pot

Ingredients

  • 3 cups lemon juice (about 8-10 lemons worth)
  • 4 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 3 ½ cups onions thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp habanero seeded and diced
  • 5 lbs boneless chicken thigh, skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup peanut oil (separated)
  • 3 cups carrots sliced in 1/2 inch chunks
  • 4 tbsp peanut butter
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp freshly-grated black pepper (separated)
  • more salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Marinate Chicken
  • Juice the lemons and prep the chicken, onions, carrots and habanero per the ingredient list.
  • In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix lemon juice, dijon mustard, onions, and habanero. Then add chicken and leave to marinate in the fridge.
  • Cook the Yassa
  • Separate the chicken pieces from the marinade, wipe dry, and keep aside. Note that drying it is important to allow the chicken to brown, but it also won't end up terrible if there is a tiny bit of liquid! While you're in there, also separate out the onions from the liquid of the marinade and keep aside.
  • Heat a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add 1/4 cup peanut oil and brown the chicken, then remove the chicken, cover with foil and keep aside.
  • In the same pot, heat it again to medium and add the remaining oil. Add the onions and cook them until beginning to brown. Add the liquid portion of the marinade, and when bubbling, add the carrots and the peanut butter. Cook for 10 minutes then add the chicken pieces, and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through and carrots are tender.
  • Serve with rice or couscous, or just some French bread.
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