September 14 - Zesty Poulet Yassa

I have to leave the familiar world of European and Asian cuisine and surf the web for some African recipes. Interesting to see a lot of chicken recipes. I picked Poulet (Chicken) Yassa, acclaimed to be a famous Senegalese recipe.

The striking taste of this dish came from marinading the chicken and onions in lemon juice and vinegar (lots of it). I skipped the cayenne pepper, since I was serving this to my kids. But the overall taste was amusingly strong, even for me.

Poulet Yassa

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut-up
2 big sweet onions, thinly sliced
8 tbsp lemon juice
8 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp mustard
small cabbage, cut-up
4 carrots. cut-up
2 chicken bullion cubes
4 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking

Preparation:
Mix the chicken, onions, garlic, bay leaf, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Marinade the chicken overnight.

Cooking Time: (30 minutes)
Drain the chicken and onions. Saute the chicken in a large pan until slightly browned. In another pan, saute the onions until caramelized. Add the marinade, mustard, chicken bullion, and carrots to the onions. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken to the vegetables. Serve with rice or couscous.