National Dish Guinea: Poulet Yassa (Recipe)
In this article
Poulet Yassa is chicken with onions, and the ratio is the surprise: three large onions to two chicken legs. They cook down into a soft, lemony mass that is more sauce than vegetable. Marinating overnight in lemon and mustard is what makes it work.
About Poulet Yassa
Yassa comes from Casamance in southern Senegal and is eaten across the region, Guinea included. The marinade is lemon juice, sliced onion, Dijon mustard and garlic, and the chicken sits in it for several hours or overnight. Then the chicken is grilled or seared and the onions become the sauce.
The mustard is not optional. It is what distinguishes yassa from any other lemon chicken.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 2 chicken legs
- 3 large onions
- 2 lemons (juiced)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Water (as needed)
- Rice or fufu, to serve
Shopping for the ingredients
Use Dijon mustard rather than mustard seeds if you can; a tablespoon of it does more for the dish. Chicken legs and thighs, on the bone, hold up to the long cooking. Buy more onions than the recipe says: yassa is an onion dish that happens to contain chicken.
Preparing the dish
Slice the onions thinly and mix them with the lemon juice, mustard, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, coat it, and refrigerate for at least four hours, ideally overnight. Lift the chicken out and let it drain before searing, keeping the onions and marinade.
Step-by-step instructions
- Sear the marinated chicken legs in a pan with hot vegetable oil until golden brown.
- Add the sliced onions and sweat them until translucent.
- Pour a little water into the pan to form a sauce and reduce the heat.
- Let the dish simmer over low heat for around 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Serve with cooked rice or fufu to soak up the delicious sauce.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Yassa contains no gluten and no dairy. Check the mustard, since a few brands use wheat flour. Served with rice the whole plate is suitable.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The onion and lemon sauce is the interesting part and works without chicken. Firm tofu, aubergine or roasted cauliflower marinated the same way and then seared give a real dish. Sauce d’arachide is the other established plant-based option in the region.
More tips and tricks
Marinate overnight if at all possible. Four hours is the minimum and the difference is obvious. Cook the onions down properly, twenty minutes at least, until they are soft and sweet rather than merely translucent. And do not add much water: the onions and lemon make their own sauce.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
A whole scotch bonnet dropped in and removed gives aroma without heat. Grilled rather than pan-seared chicken is the original Casamance method and is better. Green olives added at the end are common in some versions.
Ingredient substitutions
Fish yassa, yassa poisson, uses the same marinade and is arguably better. Lime works in place of lemon. Any part of the chicken can be used, though bone-in is preferable.
Drink pairing ideas
Bissap, the hibiscus drink, is the West African standard. Ginger juice also works. Cold beer suits it in the evening.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve the chicken over rice with the onion sauce spooned generously over both. Nothing else is needed on the plate. It is often eaten from a shared dish with the right hand.
A bit of history
Yassa is Jola in origin, from the Casamance region, and spread through Senegal and along the coast into Guinea, Mali and beyond. The mustard is a French colonial legacy that stuck. It sits within Guinean cuisine alongside mafé and jollof rice.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Poulet Yassa
Poulet yassa is chicken marinated overnight in lemon, mustard and onion, then seared and simmered until the onions become the sauce. Use three onions per two legs, and marinate overnight.
