Chicken, lemon, and thyme go wondrously together, and who doesn’t love caramelized onion or garlic right? This is one of my favorite chicken dishes after coq au vin, which I have a recipe for here. The dish I was inspired by - chicken yassa or poulet au yassa - is a mainstay in West Africa and considered to be a notable Senegalese dish from what I know. The chicken is also apparently supposed to be marinated for hours.

This recipe, makes for a super easy lunch or dinner, and a fresh and zesty springtime meal sure to please your guests! I recommend you use chicken thighs as your cut of meat, those are the juiciest.

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs (with bone and skin in)

1 large sprig of fresh thyme

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 1/2 tablespoons black pepper

1 teaspoon hot dried chili, finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced

5 slices fresh lemon

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

1/2 cup + 1/4 cup of vegetable broth

1 chicken bouillon cube

2 large yellow onions, chopped into thin wedges

1 tablespoon butter

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Instructions

Step  1

In a large bowl, score the chicken and season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, the dried chili, and the garlic. Add the onions, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 4 of the lemon slices, 3/4 of the thyme spring, 1/4 cup broth, the mustard, bay leaves, lemon juice, and the dried thyme. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 - 4 hours or overnight.

Step 2

Heat a large ovenproof pan and melt the butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Brown the individual chicken thighs along with the lemon slices and thyme sprigs, cook each side for about 4 minutes - the skin should be mostly crispy. 

Step 3

Remove the chicken pieces and lemon, set aside. Cook the onions and any remaining marinade in the chicken fat for about 5 minutes or when the onions begin to caramelize and soften. Add the rest of the broth and the bouillon cube and simmer for 10 minutes, season to taste with the remaining salt and pepper. 

Step 4

Sit the chicken thighs on top of the onions and place a hot pepper in the center, cover with a lid and simmer for another 10 minutes. Place in a 400F oven and simmer for 10 more minutes. Baste and smother the chicken with the onions and pan sauce at least once during this time. Once you are done, remove the bay leaves, lemon and any unwanted thyme sprig.

Serve hot with couscous or rice, garnish with fresh lemon slice and thyme sprig. Enough for 2-4 people.