Yassa chicken: A lemony favorite from sub-Saharan Africa
Often when I am sharing cooking advice, “my goal is to make African recipes accessible to everyone,” said chef Anto Cocagne in Saka Saka: Adventures in African Cooking, South of the Sahara (Interlink). Yassa chicken, a popular dish throughout West Africa, originated in Senegal and in every variation showcases a lemony marinade and “melt in the mouth” onions. It’s best when the chicken marinates overnight.
To achieve authentic flavor, you need to start by creating a red nokoss—a chile paste that’s used to spice sauces, meats, and fish and that features soumbala powder. Soumbala, a seasoning that’s widely used in West African cooking, is made by fermenting the seeds of the néré tree, and can be found under various names, including dawadawa, iru, and moutarde africaine.
Recipe of the week Yassa chicken
3¼ lb free-range chicken
1 lb white onions
10 lemons
2 tbsp red nokoss (recipe below)
2 tbsp mustard
Salt and pepper
2½ tbsp olive oil
1 bouquet garni (a tied bundle of herbs such as parsley, bay leaves, and thyme)
Rinse chicken and pat dry, then cut into pieces. Peel and finely chop onions. Zest and juice lemons.
Place two-thirds (4 tsp) of the red nokoss in a bowl and mix in mustard and lemon zest. Liberally brush the chicken pieces with the mustard and nokoss mixture.
Pour half the lemon juice over the chicken and mix in the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper, then cover and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to cook, separate the chicken from the onion, reserving marinade. Heat half the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Working in batches if necessary, cook chicken pieces until browned on both sides.
Set browned chicken pieces aside. Add remaining oil to pan, add onion, and gently sweat over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add remaining lemon juice and nokoss, bouquet garni, and marinade. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning if required. Add chicken pieces and 1 cup water, then cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes.
Serve the chicken with white rice on a large platter. Serves 4.
Red nokoss
1 red sweet pepper • 2 mild/sweet red chiles • 1 red onion • 3 garlic cloves • ¾ oz fresh ginger • 1 tomato • 1 celery stalk • 2 sprigs thyme • 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley • 1 tbsp soumbala powder
Deseed the sweet pepper and chiles. Peel and roughly chop onion, garlic, and ginger. Roughly chop tomato and celery. Using a blender, blend sweet pepper, chiles, onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, celery, and herbs into a smooth paste. Add soumbala and 3 tbsp water, then blend again.
The nokoss can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. To extend its life, add a top layer of vegetable oil or freeze it in an ice-cube tray dedicated to the purpose.