Yassa Senegalese Lemon Chicken Recipes

SENEGALESE CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• In a large nonreactive bowl, prepare a marinade with the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, minced chile, and the 1/4 cup peanut oil. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, making sure that they are all well covered, and allow them to marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Preheat the broiler. Remove the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade, and place them in a shallow roasting pan. Broil them until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove the onions from the marinade. Cook them slowly in the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a flameproof 3-quart casserole or dutch oven until tender and translucent. Add the remaining marinade and heat through.
• When the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the broiled chicken pieces, the pricked chile, olives, carrots, mustard, and water. Stir to mix well, then bring the yassa slowly to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot over white rice.

YASSA (SENEGALESE LEMON CHICKEN)

Steps:

• Combine first 5 ingredients; divide evenly between 2 (1-gallon) heavy-duty zip-loc plastic bags. Divide chicken evenly between bags; seal bags. Toss each bag well to coat. Refrigerate 3 hours, turning bags occasionally.
• Preheat broiler.
• Remove chicken from bags, reserving marinade. Place chicken on broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil 6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
• Strain marinade through a colander over a bowl, reserving marinade and onion. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add reserved marinade; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute; add chicken, carrot, broth, olives, water, mustard, and Habanero pepper. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until chicken is done. Discard Habanero pepper. Serve over rice.

CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Prepare a marinade of the lemon juice, onions, salt, pepper, chile, and 4 tablespoons of the peanut oil. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, be sure they are well coated, and marinate them for at least 2 hours. Preheat the broiler to the highest setting. Remove the chicken pieces and reserve the marinade. Place the chicken pieces on the broiler rack and grill them briefly until they are lightly browned on both sides. Remove the onions from the marinade and sauté them in the remaining oil. Cook them slowly until tender, then add the reserved marinade. When the liquid is thoroughly heated, add the chicken pieces. Add the water and simmer the Yassa over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Serve hot, over white rice. Yassa can also be made with fish substituted for the chicken. In the Casamance region of Senegal, where the dish originated, Monkey Yassa, is considered a delicacy, but you're on your own there.

CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken legs with the scallions, thyme, vinegar, 1/4 cup lime juice and 1 tablespoon oil. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
• If using a grill or grill pan, heat it over high; if using a cast-iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. (If cooking indoors, pat the chicken dry, discarding marinade, then brush the chicken lightly with oil.) Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Working in batches if necessary, grill or sear the chicken until browned on both sides, 6 or 7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high. When the oil is hot, add the onions in an even layer, season with salt and pepper, and let sear without stirring for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir occasionally to prevent onions from burning at the bottom of the pot, and allow onions to cook until they start to caramelize and take on some color, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the bell pepper, chile, garlic, ginger, bay leaves and the mustard (if using), and continue stirring, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons of water as needed to avoid scorching at the bottom of the pot, another 5 minutes. Stir in another 1/4 cup lime juice, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
• Add the grilled chicken into the pot, tucking it under the onions, then top with 1 cup water. Stir well, smooth mixture gently into an even layer, cover and simmer over medium until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 30 minutes.
• Season to taste and add more lime juice to taste, if desired. Serve chicken over rice, with onion mixture and sauce drizzled generously on top.

SHELIA'S CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Stir together lemon juice, oil, mustard, and garlic for marinade in a small bowl. Stir together black pepper, cayenne, lemon-pepper seasoning, and salt in another small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over chicken and transfer to a large zip-top plastic bag. Add lemon juice mixture. Seal the bag and turn to coat. Chill up to 8 hours or overnight.
• Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect grilling, lighting burners on one side only or pushing lit coals to one side. Heat grill to medium heat, 325 to 375 degrees F (165 to 190 degrees C). Lightly oil the grill grate.
• Transfer chicken to unlit side of grill, discarding marinade. Grill, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest parts registers 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 40 to 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grill lemon halves, cut-sides down, over lit side of the grill until grill marks appear, about 8 minutes.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat until hot. Stir in onions, bell peppers, carrot, garlic, and lemon juice; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid evaporates and vegetables are tender and starting to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add chicken broth; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in olives.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Arrange grilled chicken over vegetables in the skillet.
• Cover and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Serve over cooked rice with grilled lemon halves.

SENEGALESE BRAISED CHICKEN WITH ONIONS AND LIME (CHICKEN YASSA)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of oil, the lime zest, habanero, 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Transfer 2 teaspoons of the mixture to a small bowl and set aside. To the remaining oil-zest mixture, whisk in the lime juice, bouillon and ¼ cup water. Add the chicken and onions and toss. Cover and let marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate up to 2 hours, stirring once.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Set a colander over a large bowl and strain the onions, reserving both the marinade and the onions.
• In a large Dutch oven over medium-high, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil until barely smoking. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Set the pot over medium heat and stir in the onions and ¼ cup water, scraping up any browned bits. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are softened and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Stir the reserved marinade into the onions. Return the chicken, skin side up, to the pot, nestling the pieces in the sauce, then pour in any accumulated juices. Reduce to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part of the meat meets no resistance, about 25 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a serving platter or shallow bowl. Off heat, stir the reserved oil-zest mixture into the onions, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the onions and sauce around the chicken and sprinkle with chives.
• Tip: Don't marinate the chicken for longer than two hours; the acidity of the lime juice will soften the meat. Likewise, don't use an uncoated cast-iron pot. The lime's acidity will react with the metal, causing the sauce to taste metallic.

CHICKEN YASSA

Steps:

• Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, mustard, lemon zest, chile, black pepper, cayenne and salt to taste in a large nonreactive bowl or other container. Stir in the onions and bay leaf. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, turning the chicken in the marinade if it's not completely covered, at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade; reserve the marinade. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, add the chicken to the pot and sear until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
• Add the allspice to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Spoon the solids from the marinade into the pot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved liquid and chicken, making sure to spoon the sauce over the chicken to coat. Add about 1 cup of water to the pot. Cover and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
• Place the chicken on a serving platter. Spoon the onions and sauce from the pan over the chicken. (Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 5 minutes on medium heat if there is too much liquid; it should be a rich sauce.) Season with salt and pepper and serve with the rice.