I lived in Dakar, Senegal for a couple of years when I was a teenager and one of the dishes I remember liking was chicken yassa . I've made this a couple of times and lately I am finding myself craving it. It's so incredibly flavorful. I made it again last night. It was a little too spicy for the kids, but to give them credit: they tried it. We also had salad, steamed broccoli and linguine with parmesean and butter.
One of the projects in projectland is to compile recipes that are healthy, not too involved or time consuming and if possible involve the kids in the preparation. The name of the project is "Busy family meals". I hope you enjoy the following take on Chicken yassa!
Poulet Yassa
(Senegalese chicken with onions and lemon)
Poulet yassa is a famous Senegalese dish that has become popular throughout Western Africa.
4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
Chicken, cut into serving pieces -- 2-3 pounds
Onions, thinly sliced -- 4-6
Green peppers, thinly sliced 4
Carrots, sliced into rounds- 6-8
Green olives- 15
Hot chile pepper, minced -- 1-3
Lemons, juice only -- 4
Dijon mustard (optional) -- 2 tablespoons
Peanut or vegetable oil -- 1/4 cup
Salt and pepper -- to season
Preparation
Add all the ingredients except for the oil, peppers, carrots and olives to a large ziplock bag and mix together. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Remove the chicken pieces, wipe dry, and grill, broil or sauté them until half done. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium flame. Remove the onions from the marinade and add them and the peppers to the pan. Sauté for 8-10 minutes until they are soft and starting to brown.
In a large baking dish, combine the marinade and the browned chicken pieces with the onions peppers, carrots, and green olives. Put in oven uncovered, and bake until chicken is cooked through and tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Sounds good! I'll have to try. Love your new blog!
Posted by: Helen | 05/26/2011 at 11:47 PM