Chicken & turkey

Chicken Yassa

Name: Chicken Yassa
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 5 min
Total time: 1 h 55 min
Cuisine: African
Ingredients: 800g chicken thigh fillets, halved; 5 (750g) onions, thinly sliced; 75ml lemon juice; 30g (2 tbsp) Dijon mustard; 5 cloves (25g) garlic, crushed; ½ (5g) scotch bonnet, deseeded and finely chopped; 1g black pepper; 80g pitted green olives, halved; 2 bay leaves; 30ml rapeseed oil; 1 cube chicken stock cube; 200ml water

Senegalese chicken slow-cooked with a mountain of soft, sweet onions in a sharp lemon and mustard sauce with green olives.

makes 21 blocks, about 38p each

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Time: 1 hr 55 min20 min prep · 1 hr 5 min cook · 30 min marinating
Makes: 21 blocks
Cost per blockPer block: 38p
Calories per blockCalories: 82 kcal
Spice

Ingredients

Batch size

blocks

800gchicken thigh fillets, halved
5 (750g)onions, thinly sliced
75mllemon juice
30g (2 tbsp)Dijon mustard
5 cloves (25g)garlic, crushed
½ (5g)scotch bonnet, deseeded and finely chopped
1gblack pepper
80gpitted green olives, halved
2bay leaves
30mlrapeseed oil
1 cubechicken stock cube
200mlwater

Allergens: Mustard. Check the labels on stock cubes, sauces and pastes, as brands vary.

Nutrition

estimated

	1 block	3 blocks
Energy	82 kcal	246 kcal
Protein	7.7g	23.1g
Carbs	3.7g	11.1g
Fat	4.2g	12.6g
Fibre	0.8g	2.4g
Salt	0.47g	1.41g

Method

Step 1: Mix the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, scotch bonnet and pepper with 10ml of the oil. Toss the chicken and onions in it and leave for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
Step 2: Lift the chicken out of the marinade, shaking off the onions, and brown it in a little of the oil in a large casserole in two batches. Lift out. (10 min)
Step 3: Add the rest of the oil, then lift the onions out of the marinade into the pan, keeping the liquid. Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring often, until very soft and golden. (25 min)
Step 4: Pour in the reserved marinade, the water, stock cube and bay leaves, then return the chicken. Cover and simmer gently for 25 minutes until tender.
Step 5: Stir in the olives and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes until the sauce is thick and jammy.
Step 6: Remove the bay leaves, taste for lemon and salt, then cool and freeze in 70g blocks.

Hotter: use a whole scotch bonnet, seeds and all.

Serve it

Plain white rice · Couscous with a green salad · Steamed greens and flatbread

Nutrition (estimated)
	kcal	protein	carbs	fat	fibre	salt
Per block	82	7.7g	3.7g	4.2g	0.8g	0.47g
Per 3 blocks	246	23.1g	11.1g	12.6g	2.4g	1.41g

Cook’s notes

The long, slow cooking of the onions is the heart of yassa: they should collapse into a sweet, sharp sauce.
Marinating overnight gives a more lemony chicken.
Leave out the olives if you don't like them; the sauce will be a little less salty.

Serve it

Plain white rice · Couscous with a green salad · Steamed greens and flatbread.

Freeze, reheat and serve

Freeze: Cool it within two hours, portion it into 70g blocks in a silicone tray, then bag and label them. It keeps for 3 months.
Reheat: Microwave 3 blocks, covered, for 1 minute, stir, then heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until piping hot all the way through. Or warm them in a pan with a splash of water. Never refreeze thawed blocks.
A portion: 3 blocks (210g) make a dinner for one adult: about 246 kcal and 23.1g protein before rice, bread or potatoes.

Chicken Yassa questions

Why marinate the onions with the chicken?

The lemon and mustard soften the raw onions as well as flavouring the chicken, so they cook down faster and soak up the marinade. Keep the leftover liquid, as it goes back in to make the sauce.

Can I grill the chicken first?

In Senegal the chicken is often grilled over charcoal before it goes into the onions. Grill it under a hot grill for 5 minutes a side instead of browning it in the pan, then carry on from step 3.

Can I use lime instead of lemon?

Lime juice works in the same amount and is a common choice in Senegal. It gives a slightly sharper, more floral sauce.