Ingredients Meat + Poultry Chicken Whole Chicken Chicken Yassa with Fonio 4.5 (2) 2 Reviews Caramelized onions, garlic, and tomato are a jammy, rich base for tender braised chicken seasoned with lemon and chiles. By Mawa McQueen Published on December 22, 2023 Tested by Catherine Jessee Tested by Catherine Jessee Catherine Jessee is a Test Kitchen Assistant in the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. She has tested recipes for brands including All Recipes, Eating Well, Food & Wine, Real Simple, People, and Southern Living. Prior to joining the Food Studios, she accumulated 3 years of experience cooking in restaurants. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Active Time: 50 mins Total Time: 5 hrs 50 mins Yield: 4 servings Jump to recipe Chicken Yassa is an African staple dish I ate while growing up on the Ivory Coast. There are three ingredients that make African cuisine. The French use mirepoix as the base for their sauces, but in Africa it’s garlic, onion, and tomato. We especially love onion and garlic — they are the base of all African sauces. In this dish, you see the African influence from the onions, and the French influence from the mustard. It is delicious. Feel free to play with this recipe. You can roast your chicken and serve the yassa sauce on the side, or simmer raw chicken in the yassa sauce like a stew. And if you don’t want chicken, swap it out for turkey, or a fish — cod, sea bass or red snapper would work well in this dish. — Mawa McQueen Frequently asked questions What is chicken yassa? Chicken yassa is a braised chicken dish from West Africa, in particular Senegal and the Ivory Coast. It’s known for the chiles and citrus used to season the chicken as it cooks with the base of caramelized onions. Chicken yassa is typically served over fonio. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen We love this dish for a dinner party or a large family dinner. You can do the prep work early in the afternoon and set it in the oven to cook while getting set up to host your guests. Make ahead You can cook the chicken yassa up to three days before serving it. Let it cool to room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator. Reheat the chicken yassa over low heat on the stove in a covered pot, stirring occasionally. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces 4 medium-size (8-ounce) Vidalia onions, thinly sliced (about 7 cups), divided 1 (5/8-ounce) habanero chile or Scotch bonnet chile 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 4 lemons) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 4 medium garlic cloves, crushed and flattened 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, divided 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste 4 medium (3 ounces each) carrots, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups) 1 1/2 cups chicken broth 1 cup sliced green olives (from 1 [10-ounce] jar) 2 cups cooked fonio Directions Place the chicken and onions in a large bowl. Cut a few slits into the chile, and add it to the bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, 1/4 cup of the grapeseed oil, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl; add them to the chicken mixture in the bowl, and toss to coat. Seal the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade, gently scraping off any onions, and transfer the chicken to a plate; set aside until room temperature, about 30 minutes. Set aside the chile, onions, and marinade until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in a medium or large Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with pepper and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Working in 2 batches, place the chicken in the Dutch oven, and brown on both sides, 7 to 10 minutes per batch, turning halfway through the cooking time. Transfer the browned chicken to a clean plate. Add all of the reserved onions and marinade to the Dutch oven; cook over medium-high, stirring constantly, until the onions soften and start to brown, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions start to caramelize, about 15 minutes. Move the onions to 1 side of the Dutch oven, and place the chicken in the Dutch oven. Top the chicken with the onions. Add the carrots, broth, olives, and reserved chile. Increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer. Cover the Dutch oven, and bake in the preheated oven until the sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through and falling off the bone, about 1 hour, 20 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve Chicken Yassa warm over Fonio. Rate It Print