Name: Peri Peri Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 205 min
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (butterflied); 1/2 cup olive oil; 1 tbsp ground black pepper; 2 tbsp salt; 1 tsp lime zest; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 red onion chopped; 1 tbsp dried oregano; 5 cloves garlic; 2 red bell peppers chopped; 7 pcs bird's eye chilis or red thai chili; 1/4 cup vinegar

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Peri Peri Chicken brings whole grilled chicken to a new level. This Nando’s style Portuguese peri peri chicken is so tasty and easy to make. Juicy and tender inside with a crispy, flavorful skin.

This is our usual order along with peri peri chicken livers when we eat out at Nando’s in the U.K. As my family and friends know me, I love making homemade versions of my restaurant favorites and this Nando’s grilled chicken is no exemption. Plus, you can also make your own peri peri sauce which you can use as marinade and doubles as dipping sauce.

What you can expect?

Be ready for a spicy kick but also serious depth of flavor. And once you’ve made this you’ll find it hard not to crave it.

Slathering the chicken with the homemade peri peri sauce then grilling will give you crisp and gnarly skin from the chilis.

The sauce can be made within 10 – 15 minutes. It’s just then a matter of marinating a whole chicken and grilling it to perfection.

The peri-peri, or also called “piri-piri” chicken, goes great with corn cobs, vegetable salad or my favorite spicy rice which I’ll share the recipe soon.

To make the peri peri sauce

Using a blender, blend 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp ground black pepper, 2 tbsp salt, 1 tsp lime zest, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 red onion chopped, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 5 cloves garlic, 2 red bell peppers chopped, 7 pcs bird’s eye chilis or red thai chili, 1/4 cup vinegar, until you have a thick paste and uniform consistency.

Transfer to a saucepan over medium heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then to prevent the sauce from burning. After 20 minutes, check the taste and adjust. The sauce should be balanced with a nice kick of spice and enough sourness. Once cool, pour this sauce into a jar and put in your fridge. Now, your sauce is prepared and ready to use when needed!

Tips for best results.

The best way to grill the chicken is grilling it over a wood/charcoal fire. You can also use and electric griller like I did or in the oven at 180°C for 1 hour and 20 minutes or cooked through.

Minimum time to marinate the chicken is 2 hours but letting the flavors seep in overnight will really give good results.

The secret ingredient is always LOVE