Chicken Yassa
You can't get a deep, savory gravy by just boiling chicken; the flavor is built from the fond you get by searing the chicken hard at the start. The dumplings are the simple drop-style kind for a reason - they're meant to be rustic so they can soak up every bit of that gravy.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 bay leaves
For the Dish
- 3.5 pounds bone-in chicken pieces
- 5 medium onions thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 scotch bonnet peppers optional
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives optional
Instructions
- Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, avocado oil, mustard, garlic powder, ginger, salt, pepper, and paprika in a large bowl until emulsified.
- Add the chicken pieces and sliced onions to the marinade, coating everything thoroughly.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade, reserving the onions and liquid.
- Heat the canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Brown the chicken for 6 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the marinated onions with their liquid to the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cook the onions for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they caramelize and become jam-like.
- Add the reserved marinade and chicken stock, scraping up the browned bits.
- Return the chicken to the pot. Add the scotch bonnet peppers if using.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes until chicken reaches 165F.
- Add water or stock if sauce becomes too thick.
- Stir in the olives during the last 5 minutes if using.
- Remove the peppers and bay leaves before serving.
Notes
Serve over rice to soak up the onion gravy.
Taste before adding extra salt if using olives.