Senegalese chicken yassa

Chicken marinated in lemon, mustard and garlic, then simmered with a mountain of slowly sweetened onions until tangy, savoury and soft. A national dish of Senegal, served over rice.

Ingredients

• 1000 g Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed
• 3 Lemons, juiced
• 40 g Dijon mustard
• 0.4 Garlic, crushed
• 2 g Black pepper
• 5 g Salt
• 5 Onions, thinly sliced
• 50 ml Vegetable oil
• 0.5 g Bay leaves
• 1 Fresh chillies, whole, pricked once (leave out for no heat)
• 1 Chicken stock cubes, made up with 250ml hot water
• 50 g Black olives, optional
• 320 g Basmati rice

Method

1. Mix the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, pepper and salt with the onions and chicken. Cover and chill for at least an hour, or overnight.
2. Lift the chicken out of the marinade and brown it in half the oil in a large casserole (or grill it until charred). Set aside.
3. Drain the onions (keep the marinade) and cook them slowly in the rest of the oil until soft and golden.
4. Add the marinade, bay, chilli, stock and chicken. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and the onions are jammy.
5. Cook the rice in a lidded pan with 480ml water while the yassa simmers.
6. Stir in the olives if using, take out the chilli and serve over the rice.