About this Dish
Senegal's great lemon and onion dish — chicken or fish marinated in lemon juice and mustard, then slow-cooked with caramelised onions until the onions dissolve into a tangy, sweet sauce. The Casamance region of southern Senegal is considered the home of yassa. The extraordinary quantity of onions — equal in weight to the chicken — seems excessive until they caramelise into something magical.
IngredientsServes 4
🍗Chicken thighs and drumsticks, 1.5kg bone-in, skin-on
🧅White onions, 1.5kg thinly sliced into half-moons
🍋Lemons, 4 large, juice and zest
🟡Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons
🌶️Scotch bonnet chilli, 1 whole (pierced, not chopped)
🧄Garlic cloves, 4 minced
🫒Neutral oil (sunflower or vegetable), 4 tablespoons
🍚White rice or broken rice (thiéboudienne style), 400g to serve
🧂Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
1
In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the chicken pieces and sliced onions, toss everything together thoroughly, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight.2
Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat it dry with kitchen paper, reserving all the onions and marinade liquid separately. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then brown the chicken pieces well on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per side — don't rush this, the colour adds deep flavour. Set the browned chicken aside.3
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the same pot and tip in all the marinated onions. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes, for 35–45 minutes until the onions are deeply golden, soft and almost jammy. Be patient — this slow caramelisation is the soul of the dish.4
Pour the reserved marinade liquid into the pot with the onions, drop in the whole pierced scotch bonnet, and stir everything together. Nestle the browned chicken pieces back into the onion mixture, making sure they are well covered.5
Cover the pot with a lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 35–40 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through, until it is completely tender and the sauce has thickened around the onions. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning — it should be tangy, sweet and deeply savoury. Remove the scotch bonnet before serving if you prefer less heat.6
Serve the yassa over steamed white rice, spooning plenty of the caramelised onion sauce over the top. Traditionally yassa is eaten communally from a large shared dish — scatter a few lemon slices on top for a fresh finish.7
Serve over plain white rice, letting the rich onion sauce soak right into the grains. Yassa always tastes even better the next day as the flavours deepen overnight.User Reviews
No reviews yet — be the first!
Sign in to leave a review
Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.
Find the Best Yassa Near Me
AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs
🔥 Viral Recipes
How the world's most famous chefs — and creators — make this dish
Nanaaba's Kitchen
44.9K views
🌍 Food Vlogs
Food vloggers eating and cooking it at the source
🌍
No videos yet
What To Eat
The World's Food Guide
© 2025 What To Eat · hello@whattoeat.world