One of the most unique and delicious baked chicken dishes ever! My favorite go to for parties, dinners, and when I’m stuck on what to cook but want something delicious and easy.
Poulet Yassa is a Senegalese roasted chicken and onion dish. It’s hard to describe the flavor because of how unique it is-I’ve never had anything quite like it! It has a sweet caramelized oniony flavor with a flavorful heat from wriri wriri peppers and savoriness from Dijon mustard .
Start by mixing together all the ingredients and marinating for a few hours or overnight. I usually marinate it for a long while to let the flavors develop but I’ve also cooked it immediately after mixing and it still comes out delicious.
Mix together bone-in, skin on chicken legs and/or thighs with lots of sliced onions, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, paprika, minced spicy peppers such as scotch bonnet, wriri wriri, or Thai chili peppers, a chicken buillon cube, lemon juice, and salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. Cover tightly and marinate in the fridge.
Once you are ready to cook, remove chicken pieces from the marinade and fry in a pan with a little bit of oil until the skin is brown and crispy. Then add in the rest of the marinade and cook on medium heat, covered, until the onions are caramelized and chicken is fully cooked through.
Now traditionally this is the part where you would add green olives and let it simmer for a few minutes before serving. I don’t always add it and it’s still very delicious.
Another option if you’re making a very large amount is to fry the chickens, then return to the tray and bake! If you’re in a time crunch, you can also skip frying the chicken and just bake it straight in a higher temperature to develop some color on the chicken skin. (I’ve made it all these ways!)
Serve with freshly cooked fluffy white rice and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil for frying
- 2 lbs chicken legs and thighs, bone in and skin on
- 2-3 medium onions, sliced
- 6-7 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 wriri wriri peppers, minced
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 tbsp paprika
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Directions
1. Mix all ingredients together and marinate in the fridge overnight
2. Heat a pan on high heat and add olive oil. Then remove chicken pieces from the marinade and fry until golden brown
3. Pour in the marinade including onions and all juices. Sauté for 5-10 minutes then cover and cook on medium low heat for 30-40 minutes or until onions are caramelized and chicken is fully cooked through. Be sure to mix occasionally to prevent burning
4. Add green olives at this point if you are using. Serve with fluffy white rice and enjoy!