If you’re looking for a new chicken recipe to serve your friends and family, look no further. Our delicious peri peri chicken recipe is just what you’re looking for!
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If you love spicy food, our Peri Peri Chicken is a must-try recipe.
But have no fear; our spicy chicken recipe is made with fresh ingredients and can easily be adjusted so the heat level matches what your taste buds can handle.
Our Peri Peri Chicken recipe is loaded with flavor and will tantalize your taste buds. The zesty, spicy dark meat chicken is juicy, tender, and oh-so delicious!
If you enjoyed this recipe, make sure to check out our Hungarian Chicken Paprikash and Chicken Cacciatore recipes.
Ingredients to make Peri-Peri Chicken
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our Easy Peri Peri Chicken recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Do I have to use the African Bird’s Eye Chilies?
No, you don’t. If you’re not a fan of heat, you can omit them from the recipe or use less to reduce the spice level. It all depends on your taste preference and how much heat you enjoy.
Where did Peri Peri Chicken Originate?
The most famous version of Peri-Peri Chicken is said to have originated at Nando’s restaurant, a South African restaurant founded in 1987 in Johannesburg. The restaurant’s notoriety came from serving its flamed grilled piri piri chicken. It now operates 1200 outlets in 30 countries.
Spicy peri peri sauce (also known as piri-piri sauce or pili-pili) is a traditional African sauce made by Portuguese settlers who settled in Southern Africa. It’s traditionally made with spicy African Bird’s Eye chili peppers, but other hot peppers can be used.
How to Make Homemade Peri Peri Sauce
- Place a grill pan on the stovetop over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the red bell peppers and red onion.
- Sear the peppers and onions for two minutes, then turn them over and sear the other side for an additional two minutes.
- Cut the peppers in half and break apart the onions. Return them to the pan and continue to sear them for two minutes.
- Turn the peppers over to do the other side. Then, remove them from the pan.
- Continue searing the onions for another 2-3 minutes.
*For a spicier sauce, add Thai red chili peppers (with the seeds removed) to the pan and sear them on both sides.
- Chop the onions and red bell peppers into large chunks
- Add the chunks to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse the peppers and onions until they are very small pieces.
- Add the fresh garlic cloves, dried oregano, half of the lemon zest, smoked paprika, coarse sea salt, granulated sugar, and black pepper to the food processor.
- Pulse until semi-smooth.
- Pour the peri-peri sauce into a saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Add the bay leaves to the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves from the hot peri-peri sauce.
- Let the mixture cool for five minutes, then pour it back into the food processor.
- Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and the remainder of the lemon zest to the food processor.
- Puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
- With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor.
- Continue to puree the mixture until the peri peri sauce is smooth.
How to make Peri-Peri Chicken
Pat the chicken thighs and chicken legs dry with paper towels (you can also use chicken wings).
- Place the chicken in a large bowl or ziplock bag.
- Pour three-quarters of the piri piri sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Reserve the rest of the sauce for later.
- Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 2 hours (overnight is best).
- When ready, remove the marinated chicken from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes prior to cooking, allowing it to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat an oven-safe frying pan (cast iron pan or grill pan) over medium-high heat and add olive oil. When the pan is hot, remove the chicken from the peri peri marinade and place it skin side down in the frying pan.
- Sear it for about 5 minutes on each side. Once completed, brush additional peri-peri sauce over the chicken pieces and place the pan in the preheated oven.
- Cook the chicken for 25- 30 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached.
Serve our peri peri chicken with rice or your favorite sides. To recreate Nando’s Peri-Peri Chicken recipe, serve it with corn, toasted pita bread, and extra sauce.
Leftovers should be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. They can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container or ziplock freezer bag for up to two months.
Recipe FAQ’s
If you can’t find bird’s eye chilis, look for red Thai chilis; they are, for the most part, the same chili. You can also use cayenne pepper, serrano pepper, jalapeño pepper, habanero peppers, or scotch bonnet peppers.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken (thighs, drumsticks, chicken quarters, or a whole chicken) works best because it retains moisture and flavor. But if you prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, they can also be used.
Absolutely! You can easily adjust this recipe to your taste preference by reducing the number of peppers or substituting milder peppers. Adding honey or sugar also helps balance the spice level.
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Peri-Peri Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken skin-on, bone-in: thighs and legs or your choice of pieces.
- 1 ½ cup roasted red peppers drained
- 1 small red onion peeled and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- zest of one lemon finely grated
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or more to taste
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 Thai red chilis optional – seeds removed
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Instructions
- Place a grill pan on the stovetop over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the peppers and onions.*For a spicier sauce, add Birds eye peppers (with the seeds removed) to the pan and sear them on both sides.
- Sear the peppers and onions for two minutes, then turn them over and sear the other side for an additional two minutes.
- Cut the peppers in half and break apart the onions. Then, return them to the pan and continue to sear them for two minutes.
- Turn the peppers over to do the other side. Then, remove them from the pan.*Don't worry if they are not fully cooked, they will get fully cooked in the sauce.
- Continue searing the onions for another 2-3 minutes.
- Chop the onions and peppers into large chunks.
- Add the chunks to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the peppers and onions until they are very small pieces (if you use the bird's eye chili peppers, add them now).
- Add the bay leaves to the pan. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves from the peri peri sauce. Let the mixture cool for five minutes, then pour it back into the food processor.
- Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and the remainder of the lemon zest to the food processor. Puree the mixture for 1-2 minutes.
- With the machine running, slowly pour the olive oil into the food processor. Continue to puree the mixture until smooth.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Place the chicken in a plastic bag or bowl and pour over ¾ of the peri peri sauce reserving the rest for later.
- Allow the chicken to marinate in the sauce for at least 2 hours, overnight is best
- When ready remove the chicken from the refrigerator 20-30 minutes prior to cooking allowing it to come to room temperature
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Heat an oven safe frying pan or cast iron pan over medium high heat and add olive oil place allow the pan to get hot until it begins to slightly smoke
- Remove the chicken from the peri peri marinade and add it skin side down to the frying pan and sear it for roughly 5 minutes on each side
- Once completed brush additional peri peri sauce over the chicken and place in the 400 degree preheated oven
- Cook the chicken for 25- 30 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 degrees is reached
- Serve with rice or your favorite sides.*if you love the famous nandos recipe serve it with corn and some toasted pita bread with extra peri peri sauce
Henry T says
Cooking time was spot on and great flavors! Super moist chicken. Thanks!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear yo uenjoyed the chicken, its one of my favorites.