This fragrant dish is a great classic of Senegalese cuisine. It is traditionally served with plain white rice. Many thanks to Nahed, who cooked at home this delicious recipe two years ago and gave me her recipe this summer.
Nahed's chicken Yassa
27 August 2026
: 8
: 45 min
: 1 hr 40 min
: 14 hr
: Easy
Prepare the marinade the day before, the chicken will be so much more flavorful
Ingredients
The Nokoss (marinade) & the chicken
- 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley
- 1 handful of fresh coriander
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- ¼ red onion, peeled
- Salt, pepper and paprika, to taste
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 7 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled
- 1 tbsp thyme
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 whole chicken and half a chicken, cut into pieces (about 2.5 kg / 5½ lb)
The onion sauce & to serve
- 4 tbsp sunflower, rapeseed or other neutral oil — but not olive oil
- 2 kg red or yellow onions
- 10 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp mustard
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 1 fresh chilli, or a few drops of hot sauce, to taste
- Salt and pepper
- 700 g basmati rice
- 1 tbsp thyme
- 4 limes or lemons
- 300 g green olives
- 3 gherkins, sliced, plus some pickled pearl onions
- 1 glass of water
- 1 bottle of Maggi seasoning sauce
EQUIPMENT
- A food processor
- A large casserole
- A barbecue, or alternatively an oven or large frying pan
- 3 nice serving dishes
Directions
- Step 1 THE DAY BEFORE Prepare the Nokoss by blending the parsley, coriander, green pepper, onion, garlic, ginger, thyme, paprika and black pepper. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and chicken stock cube, then blend again until you have a smooth, fragrant marinade. Coat the chicken pieces generously with the Nokoss. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
- Step 2 THE FOLLOWING DAY Peel and finely slice the onions. Put them into a large heavy-based casserole or saucepan, add the oil and cook over a low heat for about 35 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft and lightly golden. Add one or two generous spoonfuls of the Nokoss, together with the garlic, mustard, crumbled chicken stock cubes and thyme. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then set aside. Grill the chicken pieces on a barbecue, if possible, for 20–30 minutes, taking care to keep the remaining marinade. The chicken should be nicely coloured but does not need to be completely cooked through at this stage. Alternatively, brown the chicken in the oven or in a frying pan. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the instructions on the packet.
- Step 3 FINISHING THE YASSA Add the remaining marinade to the casserole containing the caramelised onions and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and cover. Continue cooking until the chicken is completely cooked through. Add a little water if necessary, but be careful not to add too much: the sauce should be thick, rich and silky rather than watery. Towards the end of cooking, add the green olives, sliced gherkins and pickled baby onions. Season with black pepper and, if you like a little heat, add the fresh chilli or hot sauce.
- Step 4 TO SERVE Arrange the chicken on a serving dish, spoon the sauce into a separate bowl and serve the white rice in another dish. Cut the lemons or limes in half and give each guest a half to squeeze over their chicken. Serve with Maggi seasoning sauce, if desired, for drizzling over the rice. Then simply sit back and enjoy this delicious Senegalese classic.
Good to know!
