Italian Recipe Collection

main course meat

Chicken Yassa

Ingredients

For the Chicken

1.5 kg chicken, cut into pieces
1.2 kg white onions, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
40 g lemon juice (approx. 3 tbsp)
80 g olive oil
50 g Dijon mustard
1 tsp paprika
1 L chicken broth
Fine salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

For the Rice

300 g Basmati rice
800 g water
1 cinnamon stick
3 whole cloves
A pinch of cumin seeds
30 g olive oil

Instructions

Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into a large pan or Dutch oven. Add the chicken pieces and brown over high heat for several minutes, turning regularly so they brown evenly on all sides.
Remove the chicken from the pan, transfer to a tray or plate, and keep warm. In the same pan, retaining the chicken cooking juices, add the finely sliced white onions. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly to prevent them from sticking.
Add the minced garlic, paprika, and Dijon mustard. Pour in a splash of the chicken broth to facilitate the slow, gentle softening of the onions, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stir well to blend the ingredients, then pour in the lemon juice. Continue cooking for another 5–6 minutes, or until the onions are tender and translucent.
Once the onions are soft, return the chicken to the pan. Turn the pieces several times to coat them in the sauce, then pour in enough chicken broth to submerge the meat. Simmer gently for at least 25–30 minutes. Once fully cooked, turn off the heat and keep warm.
While the chicken is simmering, prepare the rice: rinse the basmati rice thoroughly under cold running water, then place it in a bowl with the 800 g of room-temperature water. Cover with plastic wrap and let it soak for at least 20 minutes.
In a separate pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the whole spices (cinnamon stick, cloves, and cumin seeds) to toast them lightly. Drain the rice, making sure to reserve the soaking water. Add the drained rice to the pot with the spices and toast for a minute, stirring gently with a spatula.
Pour the reserved soaking water over the rice—it should completely cover it. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 5–6 minutes.
Cover the pot tightly with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for another 10–15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the rice is dry and fluffy. Serve the Chicken Yassa hot, accompanied by the fragrant spiced white rice.