How To Make Piri Piri Chicken – Recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

A Portuguese crockery pinch its roots firmly successful nan erstwhile colonies of Angola and Mozambique, this fiery, tangy marinade was popularised successful Britain by a South African concatenation and has quickly gone native. These days, you tin get piri piri crockery dressing, piri piri crisps and moreover piri piri food and chips, but you can’t hit nan original, caller from nan grill.

Prep 10 min
Marinate 1 hr+
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

4 skin-on, bone-in full chickenhearted legs (ie, thigh and drumstick)
Lemon wedges, to serve

For nan marinade
4 ail cloves
2 tsp flaky salt

Juice of ½ lemon

For nan piri piri sauce
2-4 reddish African aliases Thai bird’s oculus chillies, to taste

2 plump ail cloves
1½ tsp flaky salt

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp saccharine smoked paprika
50ml oliva oil, aliases neutral oil

1 tbsp port, aliases 1 tsp brownish sweetener (optional)

1 Chicken limb aliases breast?

Traditionally, this would beryllium made pinch a full spatchcocked chicken, but I recovered it difficult to root birds mini capable to navigator done without burning (you could usage a guinea fowl instead, if you prefer). Also, because breasts barren retired quickly complete a precocious heat, I mostly instrumentality pinch conscionable chickenhearted legs, truthful switch successful breasts aliases wings if you like.

2 Or different meat?

Alternatively, usage nan aforesaid marinade connected full food (sardines, oversea bream, mackerel, etc) aliases meaty food fillets (chef Nuno Mendes pairs it pinch halibut), ample prawns, lamb aliases pork chops, aliases patient tofu. I’d propose lightly brushing vegetables pinch lipid and brackish earlier cooking, alternatively than pinch nan marinade, and serving pinch nan second arsenic a sauce.

3 Prepare nan chicken

If utilizing nan chickenhearted legs, bargain them bony successful for easiness of cooking; time off nan tegument on, too, to insulate them against nan heat. If you’d for illustration them surgery down into drumsticks and thighs, by each intends do so, aliases bargain them separately. Either way, put nan chickenhearted successful a tub aliases roasting tin conscionable ample capable to clasp it each successful a azygous layer.

4 Marinate successful citrus and garlic

Peel nan ail and puree pinch a ail crusher, pestle and mortar aliases nan level of a knife. Mix successful nan brackish and citrus juice, past move complete nan meat, turning to guarantee it’s good coated. Cover and time off astatine room somesthesia (unless it’s a very basking day) for an hour, aliases chill for up to 4 hours.

5 A statement connected nan chillies

Meanwhile, make nan sauce. Fresh piri piri chillies are difficult to travel by successful nan UK, though they’re sometimes disposable online, but immoderate fiery ripe (red) assortment will do, and I deliberation caller activity amended than dried. Exercising caution, aliases wearing gloves, astir chop nan soma seeds and all, discarding nan stalks.

6 Finish nan sauce

Peel and astir chop nan garlic, past usage a pestle and mortar, nan backmost of a dense weapon aliases a mini chopper to mash together pinch nan chillies and salt. Stir successful nan citrus juice, past whisk successful nan paprika and oil. Taste gingerly and adhd nan port, if using, aliases sweetener if you’d for illustration it to beryllium sweeter.

7 Grill nan chickenhearted …

Prepare nan barbecue, if using. Once it’s astatine cooking somesthesia (if utilizing a ember barbecue, hold until nan coals move grey), put nan chickenhearted connected a lightly greased grill and cover. Cook for 35 minutes, turning once, past check. Once it’s almost done, brushwood pinch nan piri piri condiment and grill, lid off, for astir different 10 minutes, until cooked through.

8 … aliases roast

Alternatively, power nan oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and cook nan chickenhearted successful a roasting tin aliases tray for astir 35 minutes, until cooked through, basting pinch its juices occasionally. Heat a griddle cookware to mean hot, brushwood nan chickenhearted pinch nan piri piri and grill for a fewer minutes connected each side, until conscionable starting to char.

9 Serving suggestions

Serve nan chickenhearted pinch chips, atom aliases breadstuff and herb salad, pinch other citrus wedges and immoderate remaining condiment connected nan side. Note that it’s worthy making double nan sauce, because successful Portugal it’s served pinch each sorts and not conscionable chickenhearted – you tin besides bargain bully ready-made versions successful Portuguese aliases immoderate African specialists.