Senegalese · main

Yassa Poulet (Chicken in Lime and Onion Sauce)

Yassa Poulet (Chicken in Lime and Onion Sauce) reads sourness 6.3, citrus 5.7 and umami 5.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Senegalese main, about 5 hr 9 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sourness 6.3 · Citrus 5.7 · Umami 5.4 · Salinity 4.9 · Funk & Ferment 3.9 · Heat 3.9 · Richness 3.4 · Allium 3.1 · Nutty 3.0 · Sweetness 2.8 · Marine & Briny 2.5 · Bitterness 2.1 · Fruity 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.6 · Floral 1.0 · Earthy 0.9 · Herbaceous 0.6 · Smoke 0.6

What's in it (14)

Time & effort: about 5 hr 9 min (1 hr 9 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 104 kcal, 7.5 g protein, 3.6 g fat, 10.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. Put the chicken and the sliced onions in a large bowl with the lime juice, mustard, garlic, half the oil, the salt, the pepper and one scotch bonnet finely minced. Turn everything over with your hands, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours and preferably overnight. The volume of onion looks absurd and is correct: it collapses to a quarter of its bulk and becomes the sauce.
  2. Lift out the chicken, scraping the onions back into the bowl, and grill it over hot charcoal or under a very hot broiler 6 minutes a side, until the skin is blistered and charred in places. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
  3. Heat the remaining oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat, add the drained onions and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring often, until they have collapsed and turned deep golden-brown.
  4. Add the leftover marinade, the bay leaves, the netetou, the remaining whole scotch bonnet and the water. Simmer 15 minutes.
  5. Return the chicken with the olives, cover loosely and simmer 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce is thick, glossy and sharp with lime.
  6. Serve over steamed broken rice.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.