How to Cook Piri-Piri Chicken

Serves: 2-4

Preparation time: 2 hours

Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients needed to make Piri-Piri Chicken:

For the chicken:

• 2 lb whole chicken
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the piri piri sauce:

• 6-12 fresh red chillies
• ½ tbsp paprika
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt flakes
• 1 ¾ fl oz red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp garlic, blanched and chopped
• 3 oz olive oil

Cooking instructions for Piri-Piri Chicken:

• To cook the piri piri sauce, warm up your oven to 350 degrees F.
• Arrange the chillies on a roasting pan and grill it for about 10 minutes or until the skin is slightly charred.
• Remove from oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
• Chop the chillies coarsely into rough pieces and throw them into a saucepan, along with the garlic, chilli, paprika, oregano and a dash of salt.
• Drizzle the vinegar and olive oil on top and give it a nice stir to mix.
• Heat the mixture over moderate flame and simmer it for a couple of minute.
• Remove from heat and set aside until it cools down slightly.
• Transfer it to a food processor and pulse them into a smooth puree.
• Pour the puree into an air-tight container, seal and store until required; it can be stored like this for over a month.
• Put the chicken into a resealable plastic pouch or Ziploc bag.
• Shake the bottle with the piri piri sauce and spoon half of it over the chicken.
• Spread it uniformly all over the chicken, seal and set it aside in the refrigerator to marinate for an hour or more.
• Reheat your oven to 390 degrees F and warm up a large griddle pan on your gas oven.
• Rub a dash of seasoning all over the marinated chicken and place it on the hot griddle pan.
• Cook it for a couple of minutes at one side and flip it over once it turns golden brown.
• Cook the other side similarly and place it on a roasting pan.
• Roast the chicken in the oven for about half an hour at the preheated temperature or until it is cooked through; it can be also grilled in a preheated barbeque, covered, over moderate heat, for about 10-15 minutes.
• Brush the piri piri sauce over the chicken at intervals while it roasts.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
• Carve out thick slices and serve with fresh salad.

Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Last Updated on January 7, 2013 by