Yes to Yassa Poulet

A Senagalese dish that combines history and culture in a single pot

By Jessica Wolfrom | Photography by Jennifer Chase | Published in our Fall 2019 Issue

Although Senegal draws culinary influences from all over the world, one of its most famous dishes, yassa poulet, also called yassa chicken, is an example of how history and culture can blend together in a single pot.

Yassa Poulet hails from Senegal’s Casamance region, which runs along the Gambia river in the south of Senegal, but draws many culinary influences from the French who occupied Senegal from 1659 until as recently as 1960.

“In Senegal, cooking is a celebration of how we have gloriously melded the old with the new, the native with the global,” said Pierre Thiam, renowned chef and cookbook author based in New York City.

In short, Yassa Poulet shows us how cooking is often a layering of ideas. And although its history is complex, it’s incredibly easy to make. We asked DC–based home chef Aimee M’Bye, a native of Senegal, to share the secrets of the traditional dish with Edible DC.

Yassa Poulet

Serves 4–6

2 onions, each sliced ¼ inch thick

4 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

1 teaspoon pepper ½ cup fresh lemon juice and 1 sliced lemon

1 cup water

5 tablespoons oil (preferably peanut)

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon ginger

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 bay leaves

2 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 1 cup of water

2 habanero peppers, seeded and sliced very thinly (wear gloves)

½ cup green olives, pitted and sliced

Combine the onions, garlic, salt and pepper, lemon juice, 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the chicken pieces, turn until coated. Cover and let marinate at least 2 hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.

Remove chicken from the marinade and grill or pan-fry until it is browned evenly on both sides. [Note: Instead of grilling the chicken, it can also be cooked in the oven at 400°F for 20 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.] Strain the onions from the marinade, and cook in a large saucepot for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the remaining ingredients, including any juices collected from cooking the chicken, to the saucepot. Bring to a roiling boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 60 minutes.

Serve with white rice.