Recipe of the Week - Chicken Yassa (Senegalese Braised Chicken)

I love experimenting with different cuisines. The variations in spices, flavors, smells and tastes are truly extraordinary. This week, I’ve chosen to provide the recipe I used for one of this week’s meals - Chicken Yassa - a West African dish comprised of chicken braised in onions, with a little kick from a scotch bonnet pepper.

The basic ingredients are:

parts from one whole chicken (leg quarters, breast halves, wings)

2 lbs onion peeled, halved, then thinly sliced

1 scotch bonnet pepper (habanero)

fresh lime juice from 2 limes

¼ cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 cups low-salt chicken broth (or better yet, homemade)

1 cup pitted green olives, sliced

STEPS

Put the chicken and onions into a large glass bowl. Slice the scotch bonnet pepper in half and add it to the bowl (be VERY careful not to touch anything until you thoroughly wash your hands, better yet, wear rubber gloves when handling such peppers). Whisk lime juice, olive oil, and about a teaspoon of kosher salt in a small bowl and pour on top of the chicken and onions. Mix well. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator overnight (or a minimum of four hours). If possible, stir about halfway through your marinading process.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Reserve onions and scotch bonnet pepper and reserve any remaining marinade in a small bowl. Place chicken pieces skin side up on a roasting pan and place into an oven on broil. Brown chicken in oven until skin begins to turn a golden brown (watch closely so it does not burn). Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Set the scotch bonnet pepper aside and put the onions into a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes to get the onions hot and start to brown. Cover the pot and turn the heat to medium-low. Let the onions cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes more, until they are soft and caramelized. Monitor often so they do not burn.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Once the onions have begun caramelizing, place the chicken pieces into the bottom of the pot, and then mound the onions on top of the chicken pieces. Place the scotch bonnet pepper in the middle of the pot. Pour in chicken broth and reserved marinade. Turn the heat to medium high and bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the pot and put it in the oven and cook for about an 1 hour or until the chicken registers 165 degrees at the thickest parts.

When done cooking remove scotch bonnet pepper and discard. Serve chicken over steamed rice or potatoes topped with caramelized onions and sliced green olives.

NOTE: Image compliments of Pinterest