Things are getting tasty around here. Homemade peri peri chicken (or piri piri chicken) has been in the works for quite some time. And I think I’ve finally nailed this recipe. For the sake of creating the perfect marinated chicken recipe, I have eaten my fair share of Nandos and plenty of other Portuguese and South African-inspired chicken over the years from various places. And after roasting, grilling, and spatchcocking countless chickens, I finally have what I consider one of the best homemade peri peri chicken recipes. We’ll use plenty of simple ingredients to make this sauce, so don’t worry. The only ingredient that I find may be difficult to locate is the birds eye chilis. They aren’t sold everywhere. If you happen to have an Asian grocery store nearby, you can grab red Thai chillies (which are Bird’s eye chile peppers, just a different name for them.) Keep in mind these peppers are quite hot for those of us that don’t usually dabble in too much spicy food! So you’ll only need a few of them!
Ingredients for making the peri peri marinade:
Chicken: I like to use a whole chicken that I’ll spatchcock by removing the backbone. This allows a whole chicken to cook much faster, both on the grill and in the oven. If you’re wondering if a batch of drumsticks or whole chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken wings, and bone-in chicken breasts will work in place of using a spatchcock chicken will work, the answer is yes. You’ll marinate the chicken in the same exact way, and then you’ll grill or roast them in the oven. The only difference is that the cooking time will be much shorter.Red bell pepper: bell peppers add color and sweetness to the marinade.Onion: I typically use a red onion for this but a yellow or white onion will also work. If you happen to have shallots on hand, those are an excellent choice for this recipe.Garlic:Herbs: You’ll need some fresh parsley, cilantro, and some dried oregano. These ingredients are very typical in a homemade peri peri sauce. You can even use basil as this is something I’ve noticed a lot of restaurants do use, but this one is optional in my opinion.Seasonings: You’ll need kosher salt, and smoked paprika to give the marinade both a source of sodium and a little bit of a smokey flavor.African Bird’s Eye Chilies: These peppers are common in South Africa and in Thailand. If you can’t find them fresh in your area, you can purchase dried peppers here.Lemons: You’ll need both lemon zest and lemon juice for this recipe. Make sure to zest the lemon before squeezing out the juice!Olive oil: helps carry the marinade throughout the chicken.Red Wine Vinegar: A bit of acid helps marinate the chicken and adds more flavor.Hot Sauce: gives it a bit more kick. I like to use South African hot sauce for this, but any kind that you have at home will also work. Valentina would be my next choice.
Instructions for peri peri chicken recipe:
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Persian Chicken Kebabs (Joojeh Chicken)Easiest Grilled Chimichurri ChickenChicken Shish TawookChicken Satay with Dipping Sauce
