1
Make the marinade
Mix mustard, lime juice, garlic, parsley, cayenne, oil, salt, and pepper into a paste.
Burkina Faso | Main dish
Poulet Bicyclette
Grilled local free-range chicken marinated in mustard, citrus, garlic, chile, oil, and herbs, then cooked over charcoal until smoky and crisp.
Country
Burkina Faso
Region
West Africa
Time
70 min
Serves
4
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Poulet bicyclette is the beloved local chicken of Burkina Faso's maquis and street grills. The name is tied to small, firm, free-range birds and the market life around them, including vendors transporting chickens by bicycle or motorbike. The dish is simple, smoky, and best eaten hot with onions, fries, rice, attieke, or a sharp pepper sauce.
What the dish tastes like
Grilled local free-range chicken marinated in mustard, citrus, garlic, chile, oil, and herbs, then cooked over charcoal until smoky and crisp.
When to cook it
Best for Evening gatherings at maquis, with a medium cooking level and about 70 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Attiéké, fries, or riz gras
Regional lane
Burkina Faso national table. A verified Burkina Faso dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
Chef watch-outs
- Skipping the resting time after grilling.
- Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
- Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
How you know it is ready
- The surface should be deeply colored while the center stays juicy.
- The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
- Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
Chef board
Build the table around Poulet Bicyclette
Attiéké, fries, or riz gras
Best route from here
Burkina Faso national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
4 steps
70 min total
medium
2
Marinate the chicken
Rub the marinade all over the chicken, getting under the skin. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
Getting marinade under the skin is key to flavour.
Marinate
120:00
3
Grill the chicken
Grill over medium charcoal heat, turning regularly, for about 35-40 minutes until the skin is crispy and the juices run clear.
Keep the heat medium to cook through without burning.
Grill chicken
40:00
4
Rest and serve
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces. Serve with your choice of sides.
Rest
05:00
Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.