Peri Peri chicken is a tasty meal of any cut of chicken marinated in peri peri sauce. Peri peri is a South African hot pepper sauce. If you've never had Peri Peri Chicken from South Africa, you're in for a treat, especially with the chicken legs.
Traditional Peri Peri Chicken is made using entire or bone-in chicken marinated in Peri Peri Sauce. The sauce is made from African bird's eye chili peppers. The sauce includes garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, spices and herbs like paprika and oregano. It's delicious.
Origins
Peri peri was created by Portuguese explorers in Portugal's former Southern African territories, specifically Mozambique and its border regions with South Africa, and extended to other Portuguese domains.
Peri Peri Marinade
The sauce is made from peri-peri chilis. The sauce can be used as a seasoning or marinade. Beyond Portugal and the Southern African region (Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, and South Africa), where it originated, the sauce has gained popularity in the United Kingdom as a result of the success of the South African restaurant chain Nando's.
Recipes vary by area, and sometimes even within the same region, depending on intended purpose. Some use it for cooking and others as a table seasoning. Regardless, the basic ingredients are chili and garlic, with an oily or acidic base. Salt, spirits (specifically whisky), citrus peel, onion, pepper, bay leaves, paprika, pimiento, basil, oregano, and tarragon are among popular components.
Making Peri Peri Chicken
If you're looking for something different to make, this is a terrific chicken dish that will give Nando's Peri-Peri Chicken a run for its money (so I'm told). This will make you eager to fire up the grill. You can make it pleasantly spicy or as hot as you desire.
The first step is to spatchcock your chicken. Using kitchen scissors, cut the backbone of the chicken. Turn it over and flatten it out as much as possible to spread the chicken out.
Then combine all of the marinade ingredients in a food processor and process them until smooth.
Next, apply half of it over the chicken. Rub it all around and cover every inch, front and back.
Cover and place the chicken in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Overnight it better. This will allow time for the peri peri marinade to infuse into the meat.
Finally, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 400° F. I prefer to cook in an iron skillet or deep dish pan. It gives it more of a outdoor grilled finish. Please the chicken in the oven for 60 minutes.
Remove the chicken and coat it once more with the peri peri sauce. Then place it back into the oven for 10 more minutes.
Take the chicken out and let it rest for 10 minutes before you carve and slice it. Serve it with a side of rice (and peri peri sauce) or roasted potatoes. Enjoy!
Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients
- 1 chicken
- 1 cup olive oil
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 8 bird-eye chilies
- 8 cloves garlic
- 2 medium onions
- 4 teaspoons dried oregano
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 roasted pepper
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 Tbs lemon rind (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Using kitchen scissors, cut the backbone of the chicken. Turn it over and flatten it out as much as possible to spread the chicken out.
- In a food processor, combine all of the marinade ingredients and apply half of it over the chicken.
- Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight, covered.
- Roast for 60 minutes at 400°F in the center of a preheated oven, or until the thickest portion of the thigh is 175°F. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes after it has finished cooking.
Video
NUTRITION
Try the Kosher Cowboy's other chicken recipes.
Sign up for the Kosher Cowboy newsletter.
Leave a Reply