Peri Peri Chicken
A very simple chicken recipe created especially for those who love to add chilli heat to a classic chicken roast. Best enjoyed with a simple green salad and plenty of fresh lemon plus of course, extra dipping peri peri sauce to tempt those taste buds.
Finally, if I may share a quick history lesson on this amazing roast chicken, in particular the renowned peri peri chilli sauce, the culinary origins of this recipe date back to the early sixteenth century. Amazingly Portuguese traders arriving in Africa from Brazil brought with them the main ingredient, the bird’s eye chilli pepper which became the foundation to this fiery, spicy sauce.
Peri Peri Sauce can also be found in category ‘Essentials’ via the link.
Ingredients
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Peri Peri Sauce
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120g medium-long red chilli
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1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
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2 cloves garlic
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30ml cider vinegar
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30ml whisky- optional
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1 lemon- juice only
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1 bay leaf
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250ml extra virgin olive oil
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Marinated Chicken
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1.6kg whole chicken- washed and patted dry
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Sea salt
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30ml homemade peri peri sauce
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10g smoked paprika powder
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2 cloves garlic- finely chopped
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1 tbsp fresh thyme- finely chopped or dried
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1 lemon- juice only
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Garnish
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Fresh lemon wedges
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Extra homemade peri peri sauce
Instructions
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Make peri peri sauce:
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01 Place all the ingredients except the oil into a blender and blitz until smooth, slowly adding the oil after 20 seconds. Place in a container and let sit for a minimum of one hour, but preferably overnight. See image #2
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Prepare the chicken:
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02 Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears remove the backbone. Now flatten the whole chicken out by placing it skin side up on a cutting board and applying firm pressure to the breastbone. Rub with a sea salt in both the cavity and skin.
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Marinade the chicken:
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03 In a bowl, combine the 30ml peri peri sauce, smoked paprika, garlic, thyme and lemon juice and mix well to combine. Using your hands, massage this mixture all over the chicken and allow to marinate in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or preferably overnight. See image #3
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Roast:
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04 Remove chicken from the oven, and allow to rest before carving, then take to the table garnished with extra peri peri sauce and fresh lemon wedges. See cover image.
Notes
The chicken is spatchcocked or butterflied for his recipe (split down the backbone and flattened). This will speed up the cooking process and allow the wonderful peri peri sauce to permeate the flesh more deeply. It is possible to roast whole but I assure you to spatchcock will give a much better result.
