Peri-Peri Chicken Recipe
Easy Peri-Peri Chicken ~ Chicken pieces rubbed and marinated with spicy sauce and roasted to perfection in the oven.
One of the blessings of the culinary world is that I get to taste different dishes right from the comfort of my home. I get inspired by recipes I find on the internet and ingredients from my local supermarkets. My inspiration even comes from watching travel food shows on YouTube. I feel like I am getting inspired from all directions.
I chose to share this recipe because this is one of the best and easiest recipes for delicious tasting chicken. You can even use the Peri-Peri sauce to season grilled vegetables. I am not a huge fan of cayenne pepper in food because you can easily add too much spiciness, but this particular sauce recipe is fantastic.
What is Peri-Peri?
Peri-Peri is a type of chili pepper known as the African Bird’s Eye chili. Chili peppers are rich in various vitamins and minerals but are usually eaten in small amounts. You may also notice that many people will say Piri-Piri Chicken; it is the same thing.
What is Piri-Piri Chicken or Peri-Peri Chicken
First, I have to mention that this recipe I am about to share is from “A Taste of Africa” by Dorinda Hafner. Here’s an excerpt from the cookbook:
“Peri-Peri sauce is a very popular spicy seasoning in southern Africa, particularly Portuguese, southern Africa. It is most often used to season chicken pieces or whole birds, but you can also use it to season just about anything. For a milder, marinate, use less cayenne or more sweet paprika. “
How to make this Chicken Recipe
The recipe for this chicken recipe is very simple. First, you will need the following ingredients:
- Fresh lemon juice: better than store-bought
- Good olive oil or vegetable oil: I only used olive oil when making this recipe.
- Cayenne pepper – no substitution here – Cayenne pepper is better than, for example, habanero powder. It is also better for your stomach lining during digestion.
- Sweet Paprika – I have used regular, sweet, and smoked paprika. My favorites are sweet and smoked paprika.
- Sea salt, you can use Himalayan salt or kosher salt.
- Freshly ground black pepper, best instead of using the store-bought and already grounded black pepper.
- Garlic powder: I have not used fresh garlic or garlic puree
- Chicken: you can use a whole chicken, cut-up chicken, leg, or thighs. See the recipe for ways on how to prepare the chicken. Always buy organic if you can.
The instructions
A quick summary. Check out the full instructions below.
- Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a small mixing bowl, and mix to form a paste. This is the sauce you need to season the chicken.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- To make this recipe using the chicken pieces, pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat.
- With a kitchen tongue, arrange the pieces on the rack. Make sure they are at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake/roast in an oven at 400℉ for 45 to 50 minutes or until fully cooked and nicely browned and a bit crispy.
- Remove from the oven and serve with your preferred side dish.
If using chicken pieces, pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and toss, so each piece is well coated. Cover and set aside to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Bake, barbecue, grill, fry, or cook according to personal preference.
Notes and Tips
Both ingredients list and instructions are from the book. Nothing was omitted or updated.
- I have substituted sweet paprika with smoked paprika—same great taste.
- You can grill the chicken, but be aware that high heat is not recommended as the spice coating may burn very quickly. Steady and high-to-moderate heat is preferable.
- The chicken does need time to marinate for more flavor. But if you only have a few minutes, make sure you at least let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- I would recommend using a baking sheet fitted with a rack. The rack allows for proper heat circulation, and the chicken pieces will get browned very nicely.
- You can reduce the amount of cayenne pepper if you don’t like too much heat. You can also increase the paprika if you want.
peri-peri sauce and chicken Peri-Peri Chicken
Sources:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/chili-peppers#vitamins-and-minerals
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/8-benefits-of-cayenne-pepper#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5
Peri-Peri Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon
- 4 tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp sea salt heaped teaspoon
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 pounds 1kg chicken pieces such as thigh, wings, or breasts, or 1 whole chicken, about 3 pounds (1.5 kg)
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a small mixing bowl, and mix to form a paste. This is the peri-peri sauce.
- If using chicken pieces, pour the sauce over the chicken pieces and toss, so each piece is well coated.
- Cover and set aside to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight. Bake, barbecue, grill, fry, or cook according to personal preference.
- For a whole chicken, spread the peri-peri sauce between the skin and the meat first, then coast the outside of the chicken with the remaining sauce. Cover and let the chicken marinate in a refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour or longer before cooking. The longer you marinate the meat, the tastier it is when cooked!
- Preheat the oven to 400℉/200℃.
- Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Roast in the oven to 35 to 45 minutes, or until the thigh releases clear juices when pricked, and an instant-read thermometer reads 170℉ to 175℉ /105℃ to 110℃ when inserted in the thigh. Remove from the oven, let stand for 10 minutes and then carve.
- Serve hot
Notes
Further instructions
- Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a small mixing bowl, and mix to form a paste. This is the peri-peri sauce.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- To make this recipe using the chicken pieces, pour the peri-peri sauce over the chicken and toss to coat.
- With a kitchen tongue, arrange the pieces on the rack. Make sure they are at least 1 inch apart.
- Bake/roast in an oven at 400℉ for 45 to 50 minutes or until fully cooked and nicely browned and a bit crispy.
- Remove from the oven and serve with your preferred side dish.
Notes and Tips
Both ingredients list and instructions are from the book. Nothing was omitted or updated.- I have substituted sweet paprika with smoked paprika—same great taste.
- You can grill the chicken, but be aware that high heat is not recommended as the spice coating may burn very quickly. Steady and high-to-moderate heat is preferable.
- The chicken does need time to marinate for more flavor. But if you only have a few minutes, make sure you at least let it marinate for 30 minutes.
- I would recommend using a baking sheet fitted with a rack. The rack allows for proper heat circulation, and the chicken pieces will get browned very nicely.
- You can reduce the amount of cayenne pepper if you don’t like too much heat. You can also increase the paprika if you want.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
