Peri Peri Chicken
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African and Portuguese culture, Peri Peri Chicken is taking the world by storm with its garlicky, sweet, spicy, lemony, tangy mesmerizing flavors. But don't let the word spicy scare you, since you’re making your own recipe, you can make it as fiery hot or as mildly spicy as you like! This recipe takes just 10 minutes of hands-on prep to make the sauce, then just marinate the chicken and get excited about firing up the grill or oven! Serve this spicy chicken with coconut rice, grilled corn on the cob and tomato cucumber salad to complete the epic feast.
Ingredients
Instructions
Roast the bell peppers: Rotate the peppers over the open flame of your gas stovetop, turning with tongs until blackened all over OR broil 4-6 inches away from the heat source. To broil, deseed and cut the bell peppers in quarters and place them skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet. Press them flat with your hand. Broil until they're blackened all over, 5 to 10 minutes. watching carefully and roating the pan as needed.
Sauté the aromatics: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, garlic and smoked paprika; sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are softened.
Blend: Add all of the ingredients to a blender up to the olive oil (including the onion mixture and roasted bell peppers). Blend to a smooth sauce or leave it a chunkier consistency. Stream in the olive oil just to combine.
Adjust to taste: The sauce should be a balance of fiery heat, sourness, saltiness and tanginess. Add additional chili seeds or red pepper flakes for spicier, vinegar for tangier, lemon juice for more sour.
Marinate: Add the chicken to a freezer bag or shallow dish. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken and turn to coat. Marinate for 2-24 hours (the longer the better).
Cook: The below baking and grilling instructions are for bone-in chicken thighs – adjust cooking time as needed for different cuts.
TO BAKE:
If you choose to cook the chicken in the oven, consider adding 2 teaspoons mesquite liquid smoke to the marinade for that smoky flavor.
Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Line the chicken in a single layer so the pieces aren't touching. Bake at 400 degrees F for 35-45 minutes (depending on thickness), until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F on an instant read thermometer, then allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Brush cooked chicken with desired amount of reserved Peri Peri Sauce (that never touched the raw chicken) and garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Note - the more sauce you add, the spicier the chicken!
TO GRILL:
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, 425-450°F with the lid closed, clean and grease grates with vegetable oil.
Grill chicken skin side down first (if leaving on). Grill for 5-7 minutes per side with the lid CLOSED, or until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Adjust the temperature if the chicken is browning too quickly. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Brush cooked chicken with desired amount of reserved Peri Peri Sauce (that never touched the raw chicken) and garnish with fresh herbs if desired. Note - the more sauce you add, the spicier the chicken!
