“Yassa, please!”
Do you need a meal that’s gluten free, dairy free, and quick? Well, I got you covered for two out of three. This delicious Senegalese dish is gluten free and dairy free, but like most good things, it’s gonna take a while. Probably about 90 minutes. Btw, I’ve tried just throwing everything in a crock pot in an attempt to turn this into a simple toss-everything-together-and-forget-about-it-until-it’s-done meal and it was a dismal disappointment.
You will need:
1/3 cup of lemon juice
5-6 cloves of garlic
3-4 tbs dijon mustard (it really does need to be dijon)
3 medium white onions
6 carrots
8 chicken drumsticks (if you really want to cut up a whole chicken, go right ahead, I just can’t be bothered)
1/2c oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bullion cube (in case you need this to be absolutely gluten free, check the label)
Mix together the lemon juice, garlic, and dijon along with a dash of salt and black pepper (I’ve made this from memory so many times, I’m useless when it comes to the measurements – maybe start with 1/2 tsp of each?)
Cut the onions into wedges, then slice up the wedges and place them in the lemon juice mixture to marinade.
Heat 1/2 cup oil (of your choice, friends; I usually use plain old vegetable oil for this) in a large skillet, then brown the chicken.
Once the chicken is brown, remove it and set it aside. Remove the onions from the marinade with a slotted spoon and sautée them until clear.
While the onions are cooking, peel and cut the carrots into two-inch sections.
Did I really need to take a picture of this? Probably not.
Once the onions are clear, add the chicken, carrots, and bullion cube back into the skillet. Cover and simmer for one hour. Every once in awhile, give it a little stir, add a bit of water if it starts to look stew-y. Maybe march in place while listening to a podcast to get some steps in (am I the only person who does that?). Do some squats? Whatever floats your boat to pass the time!
Finally, add salt and pepper to taste. This recipe yields four servings and is best paired with rice. Oooohhh – and some fried plantains on the side. You’re welcome.
A little background on my history with this meal for those who have made it this far and are curious about my affinity for this West African meal: before retiring, my mom was a linguist who worked with languages in Senegal and Cameroon which gave me the opportunity to spend some time in both of those countries when I was young. She learned to make this while living in Senegal and it has been one of my favorite comfort foods since I was 4.