Yassa Chicken 2.0 (Festive version)

Ingredients

• 4 pieces Chicken thighs (Skin and bone retained, can be replaced by drumsticks or chicken breasts)
• 5 pieces Bird's eye chilies (Adjust according to desired spiciness)
• 0.5 teaspoon Black peppercorns (Freshly ground in the mortar)
• 0.5 teaspoon Ground cumin
• 4 pieces Cloves
• 10 cloves Garlic (Peel, 4 for the spice paste, 6 for the second paste)
• To taste Salt
• 1 tablespoon Mustard (Optional, adds a hint of acidity)
• 6 pieces Lime (Juice only, pulp recovered in the bowl)
• 2 leaves Dried bay leaves
• 0.5 piece Green bell pepper (Coarsely chopped)
• 2 stalks Green onion (scallion) (Optional, coarsely chopped)
• 6 pieces Yellow onions (Sliced into not too thin rounds)
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil (To sweat the onions in the sauce)
• 2 pieces Whole chilies (Added to the sauce then removed before serving)
• 100 g Pitted green olives (A large handful, added at the end of cooking)
• 200 ml Water (To deglaze the pot)
• 300 g White rice (Nyan Catane, cooked in salted water)
• 8 pieces Cherry tomatoes (For garnish, optional)
• 0.5 piece Cucumber (Sliced, optional)
• 0.5 piece Additional green bell pepper (Sliced for garnish)
• 80 g Sweet corn kernels (Optional, for the side salad)

Instructions

1. Prepare the basic spice paste

   In the mortar, grind the bird's eye chilies, black pepper, cumin and the 4 cloves until a fine powder is obtained.

   Time: PT5M

2. Add garlic to the paste

   Add the 4 garlic cloves to the mortar and grind again until a homogeneous paste is obtained. Lightly salt.

   Time: PT3M

3. Stuff the chicken thighs

   Make a small incision in each thigh, widen the cavity with your finger and insert the spice paste. Repeat on the top of each thigh.

   Time: PT5M

4. Prepare the lemony marination paste

   In the mortar, grind again a few cloves, one bird's eye chili and black pepper. Add the remaining 6 garlic cloves, the half green bell pepper, the green onion, the 2 bay leaves, the mustard and the juice of the 6 limes. Mix well.

   Time: PT10M

5. Coat the chicken with the marination

   Pour the marination paste over the stuffed thighs and massage so each piece is well covered.

   Time: PT5M

6. Add the onions and start the marination

   Thinly slice 6 onions into thick rounds, add them to the bowl with the chicken, mix and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

   Time: PT5M

7. Initial cooking in the pot

   Heat the pot over low heat, place the thighs with all the marination juice, cook 10 minutes on one side then turn and cook 10 minutes on the other side.

   Time: PT20M

   Temperature: Low heat (~150°C)

8. Finish on the barbecue (or oven)

   Transfer the thighs to the barbecue or under the oven grill at 200°C for 10 minutes on each side to impart a charred flavor.

   Time: PT20M

   Temperature: 200°C

9. Reserve the chicken and collect the juices

   Remove the cooked thighs, keep them in a warm dish. Preserve the cooking liquid and the marination in the pot.

   Time: PT2M

10. Prepare the yassa sauce

    In the same pot, add 2 tablespoons of oil, sweat the remaining onion rounds for 5 minutes, add the 2 whole chilies, the chicken cooking juice, the marination liquid and 200 ml of water. Simmer for 15 minutes over medium heat.

    Time: PT15M

    Temperature: Medium heat (~180°C)

11. Adjust the seasoning

    Taste the sauce, adjust salt, pepper or a splash of lemon if needed. Remove the whole chilies.

    Time: PT2M

12. Reincorporate the chicken

    Return the thighs to the sauce, let heat for 5 minutes so the flavors meld.

    Time: PT5M

13. Add the olives

    Stir in a handful of pitted green olives, mix quickly.

    Time: PT1M

14. Plating and serving

    Serve the hot yassa accompanied by cooked white rice. Garnish with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper and sweet corn seasoned with a teaspoon of mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and oil.

    Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories

460

Protein

30 g

Carbohydrates

45 g

Fat

12 g

Fiber

4 g