BBQ Chicken
Sam Sifton
2565 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars
2,565
45 minutes
Chicken Yassa
- Total Time
- 1 hour, plus marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 4bone-in, skin-on chicken legs (2½ to 3 pounds)
- 4scallions, trimmed, whites and greens finely chopped
- 2tablespoons fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
- 1tablespoon white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½cup lime juice (from 3 or 4 limes), plus more as needed
- 4tablespoons peanut, vegetable or canola oil, plus more as needed
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2pounds yellow onions, halved and sliced ½-inch thick
- 1green bell pepper, halved, seeded and cut into thin matchsticks
- 1whole Scotch bonnet chile, poked with a fork (or 1 whole habanero chile, 1 to 2 minced jalapeños, or ½ to 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes)
- 4garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4teaspoons finely chopped fresh ginger
- 3fresh or dried bay leaves
- 2teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
- Cooked rice or fonio, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
802 calories; 51 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 42 grams protein; 1615 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, combine the chicken legs with the scallions, thyme, vinegar, ¼ cup lime juice and 1 tablespoon oil. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
- Step 2
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.
- Step 3
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.
- Step 4
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 ¼ cup lime juice, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper.
- Step 5
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.
- Step 6
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.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jay
1 large onion (about 3-1/2" diameter) = about 12 oz 1 med onion (about 2-3/4" diameter) = about 6 oz 1 cup 1/4" diced onion = about 4-1/4 oz 1 C 1/2" diced onion = about 3-3/4 oz 1 C thinly sliced onion = 4 oz
Yassman
My best friend growing up was from Senegal and her mother would make this dish regularly over couscous and with green olives— it was my absolute favorite. She would also eat this with a special habanero hot sauce that could melt steel! Be sure to try this with green olives, avoid using jalapeños, and don’t skimp on onions or Dijon, that’s really what defines this dish.
Marie
Chicken yassa is onions, garlic, chicken, limes, scotch bonnet pepper, s&p and oil nothing else. And no you shouldn’t make this is in a slow cooker. Signed a Senegalese.
Judy
This was delicious. I did not discard the marinade. I added to the chicken in the cast iron skillet, cooked in the pan juices & mixed in with the browned onions, garlic, chili ginger & lime juice. It added another layer of flavor to this dish.
Dan
My approach is to slice onion(s) until I look at it and say, "OK, that's enough onion".
courtney
I used to live in Senegal and yassa poulet was my favorite! It’s cool to see it here, but I’d note that I had yassa in many homes and never once saw a yassa with thyme, scallions, or green pepper. It’s really mainly an onion thing - lots of onions cooked down in Dijon, oil, and lime, served over rice or millet.
Julia
You can't make yassa without Dijon mustard and green olives. The mustard is not optional.
Lindsay
Season and brown your chicken in peanut oil. Remove from skillet. Add to hot skillet sliced yellow onion, make a paste of black peppercorns/chicken bouillon (Maggi, preferably)/ginger/garlic and add to sautéeing onions. Once onions are soft, thin with a bit of water or stock, add a big dollop of Dijon mustard, juice of a few lemons, and a handful of green olives. Float a few whole habaneros on top, Return chicken to pan, cover and simmer in sauce until done. Serve with habanero on side. Voilà!
MA
How many onions are in 2 pounds—helpful to have a number if we do not have a scale
Ann
The only chicken legs my store had were huge and I had to buy 6-8 of them so I just used drumsticks. Turned out great, but I think next time I’ll just use thighs. Listen to the other commenters when they say not to skimp on the onions or mustard. Add more. I used 3 teaspoons mustard and I’ll use 4 next time. Definitely use chicken broth instead of water. I served it on couscous cooked in vegetable broth and with a lot of green olives as another person suggested. A household fave for sure!
Paul Jacobson
This is fabulous. I used skinless boneless thighs, red bell pepper instead of green, and a fresh cayenne pepper. I had a Senegalese roommate in college. We lived in a large house with lots of international students and we ran a 'dinner coop' with another house next door, and routinely cooked for 30. Amadou would make this dish with lemons instead of limes, but his mother had used limes. This matched exactly my taste memories of 40 years ago.
S. Nayar
I made this as directed with a 4 hour marinade and found, given the amount of prep work and time involved, it wasn't delicious. It's possible that marinating the chicken overnight improves the flavor. But it was lacking something; not sure what....
Becky
I used 1.5 teaspoons of crushed red pepper - scotch bonnet peppers are not customarily found in my neck of the woods. It was delicious.
Jasper
I made a short documentary featuring this dish! https://youtu.be/4fb6d72VDLI Diagne cooks an amazing Chicken Yassa. She leaves the onions to marinate for hours before she adds them to the chicken. It's cooking magic.
Lisa
I agree with you, Courtney. I have many friends who have cooked this for me. I’ve never had it with peppers except for scotch bonnets, and I have always had it with onions, carrots, and green olives. My trick is to wait until everything is nicely browned, then I pour a couple of spoons of the Olive juice and add about 2 or 3 Olives per person, then cook for 15-20 more minutes. I like to add a lot of onion, and I add an equal amount of carrots; peeled and sliced, approximately one finger wide.
Tokyoguy
Don't let the simple ingredients fool you. This dish packs a flavor punch on so many levels and yet nothing was over powering. Prepared it using a Dutch oven and braised it in an oven for 45 minutes at 325F.
Bree
This was delicious but a little time consuming to make. Next time I think I'll cook the chicken separately on a sheet pan in the oven.
KitchenWitchoftheWest
If you are tempted to make this with skinless chicken breasts [what I had in my fridge and hoped the recipe's flavors would improve], it's fine, but you will be wishing you had tried it the way it's written. Definitely use the suggested green olives, and more lime makes for a good time. I will also caramelize the onions more deeply. PS the lone habanero sitting in the pot, uncut, didn't add any heat. I'll make this again with bone-in thighs or drumsticks, and slice up some hot peppers.
Dan G
I like to toss the onions in salt and marinate the chicken with the onions and other seasonings. This allows the onion juices to permeate the chicken. Then I grill the chicken until half done while I'm simmering the onions together with all the leftover marinade. Never fails.
David Roberts
This recipe is missing a step, the final step, which is to turn up the heat to boil away the extra liquid from the simmer and caramelize the onions even more. If your simmer was high this might happen naturally but if not then you get a soupy yassa. And I don’t mean I discovered this. Online recipes include this step, Saveur for one. Also online, marinate the onions with the chicken and the spices. Bless the Senegalese.
Marthali
What a fantastic dish! I used fresh cayennes (they grow in my classroom), and added olives, on the advice of some Senegalese commenters. It was spicy but oh, so delicious!
Gibby
Doubled the recipe in a huge pot. Needed to start the onions in one large Dutch oven plus one large cast-iron skillet, then combine. But the onions really do brown in about 12 minutes--it only says they should START to caramelize, not to caramelize completely (as others have suggested). We used habenaros, and they impart a lovely heat that suffuses the dish without overwhelming. We put the chicken on the grill outdoors until browned as suggested, and I do think that if you can. Everyone loved t
Laura Di Battista, Toronto
I found the amount of lime juice that was called for made the dish a little too tart. I softened the flavour with two tsps of honey and it was perfect!
Peggy D
With all the lime juice and the dijon I don't think the vinegar is necessary.
Caryn
What would be a good amount of powdered ginger to add if I don’t have fresh ginger?
Gibby
They really cannot be used interchangeably. One site on line suggests 1/4 t powdered per 1 T fresh.
Edith
I use a garlic/ginger paste I buy at the Indian market. Tastes great, keeps well in the fridge and saves a ton of work. The difference is it DOESN'T sauté, just mix it in to the sauce and cook.
Chickenfog
Used the mustard, omitted the bay leaf. This was good. The taste is very bright and a bit tart. Would make again.
momterrific
Delicious!! One of my go-to dishes.
linda x
Use vegetable stock instead of water and 3 cups if you want it to have extra sauce
Stephen in Essex
Carmelized the onions for about an hour on the low & slow. Made all the difference.
Bloop
I can't speak to the authenticity but this was delicious! I took notes from some other people. I cut out the thyme and scallions and I amped up the onion (2 lbs 4 oz) and Dijon (3 tsp) and added in 1/4 cup green olives. I didn't add scotch bonnet pepper cuz I have a 2 year old so just stick with the green bell pepper. It was delicious.
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