What is Peri Peri Chicken
Peri Peri chicken is a delicious roasted chicken dish popular in South Africa. It consists of skin-on and bone-in chicken pieces marinated in a spicy Peri Peri sauce, then roasted in the oven. The skin gets lightly crisp and the meat is super juicy, with an incredible amount of vibrant, smoky/spicy flavor in every bite! The true origins make this dish a Portuguese-African fusion, as Portuguese traders introduced the spicy bird’s eye chilies to this part of Africa. To the American palette, the taste would seem like an exotic version of baked buffalo chicken. To make this easy Peri Peri chicken recipe for a midweek dinner ready in under an hour, I use store-bought Peri Peri sauce as the base and marinate it overnight. I also amplify the flavor with lemon juice and a blend of vibrant seasonings for some extra pizazz. My daughter who spent a large part of last year in South Africa loves this recipe. Try it yourself, you will not be disappointed!
Ingredients You Need
Chicken – your favorite bone-in pieces with the skin on Peri Peri sauce – medium or hot Lemon juice – freshly squeezed is best Spices – garlic powder, smoked paprika, dried basil (or oregano), and salt
Note: You can certainly buy African bird’s eye chilies in bulk and make your own Peri Peri sauce, but I have recently found bottled Peri Peri sauce in almost every grocery store I visited around town. Nando’s Peri Peri sauce is the most common variety, a product from the popular restaurant chain in South Africa.
How to Make Authentic Peri Peri Chicken
Reserve the rest of the Peri Peri sauce for later use. Get the Complete (Printable!) Peri Peri Chicken Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy! Use an internal meat thermometer to make sure the chicken registers 165°F before serving.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Piri Piri sauce is meant to be hot, and the medium is hot for most people. Only buy the hot variety if you can really handle the heat! We use whole fryer chicken pieces. Feel free to use different pieces of bone-in chicken, like just wings, drumsticks, or chicken thighs. If you prefer boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, reduce the cooking time from 40 minutes to 20-25 minutes. You can grill the marinated Peri Peri chicken for a deep, smoky charred flavor. Heat the grill to medium heat, and cook the pieces of chicken for about 15 minutes on each side, until the inside temperature registers 165°F with a meat thermometer. (For boneless grilled chicken, 5 minutes per side.) Marinate the chicken pieces late the evening the night before, or in the morning, the day you plan to cook. Then baking them is a breeze for dinner!
Serving Suggestions
In South Africa, Peri Peri chicken is most commonly served with fries. It’s casual comfort food that’s meant to be enjoyed as part of a homestyle meal – nothing fussy, but certain to make everyone at the table pay attention! The smoky and spicy flavors make this chicken perfect to pair with nearly any side dish you like! Here are a few staple sides we love:
Coleslaw Corn on the Cob Mashed Potatoes Grilled Vegetables Fluffy white rice or low carb Cauliflower Rice Jollof Rice (African rice) Sweet Potato Fries
Looking for More Easy Chicken Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
Chicken Vesuvio (Italian Baked Chicken) Peruvian Baked Chicken Roll Ups Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Recipe Grilled Maple Mustard Chicken Mind-Blowing Nashville Hot Chicken
Get the Complete (Printable!) Peri Peri Chicken Recipe + VIDEO Below. Enjoy! Share This Recipe With Friends!
