Whether you call it Piri Piri Chicken, Peri Peri Chicken or Portuguese Chicken one thing is for certain - it’s positively delicious! With roots in both Portugal and Africa, this chicken dish’s namesake comes from the spicy hot pepper used to make the marinade or sauce. Bird’s eye chili peppers are relatively small but pack a ton of heat. Their heat profile hovers somewhere in between the milder jalapeño and fruity and potent habanero.
Growing up, my parents would take us to a local Portuguese restaurant, or Churrasqueira, where they served some of the best Piri Piri chicken in town. The chicken was always cooked to perfection and slathered in the most flavourful Piri Piri sauce. To this day, I still frequent that same restaurant and my go to order hasn’t changed - Piri Piri Chicken. Given my affinity for this dish, I knew that I had to recreate it at home. I present to you my Piri Piri Chicken recipe. To keep things simple, I use a little Piri Piri hot sauce (featuring Bird’s eye chilis) as the base of my marinade and combine it with lemon juice, smoked and sweet paprika and garlic. The marinade is then brushed onto the chicken and baked until tender, juicy and oh so flavourful. The result - a spicy, smoky, sweet, tangy, salty and meaty bite!
This dish comes together quickly, requires minimal prep time and couldn’t be easier to make! It’s perfect for any occasion - a weeknight meal, date night, bbq, social gathering or celebratory event. So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!
For more fun and exciting chicken meal ideas, try my Marry Me Chicken, Filipino Chicken Adobo, Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks, Tequila Lime Chicken and Huli Huli Chicken recipes!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Serves: 6 - 8
Ingredients:
Whole Chicken
1.95 kg (approx. 4.3 lbs) whole chicken (See Notes below)
1/2 lemon
1 head of garlic, halved
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Piri Piri Marinade
3 Tbsp Piri Piri hot sauce
Juice of 1/2 lemon (approx. 1 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp avocado oil
1 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
Vegetables
0.68kg (approx. 1.5 lbs) baby potatoes, scrubbed
1 large yellow onion, peeled, halved and quartered
1 red pepper, core and seeds removed and cut into 1 inch slices
1/2 lemon, cut into 3 wedges
3 Tbsp avocado oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions:
Prepping the Whole Chicken: Preheat the oven to 425F. While the oven preheats, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Check the cavity and remove the giblets, if any, and discard.
Creating the Piri Piri Marinade: To a small bowl, add the Piri Piri hot sauce, lemon juice, avocado oil, sweet paprika, smoked paprika and garlic powder. Whisk until fully incorporated and set aside.
Seasoning the Vegetables: Grease a 9” x 13” baking dish with 3 Tbsp of avocado oil and toss in the potatoes, onions, red pepper and lemon wedges. Season with 1/2 tsp salt. Mix until fully incorporated.
Place the whole chicken over the vegetable mixture. Season the cavity with 1/2 tsp salt and to it, add 1/2 a lemon and head of garlic. Brush the marinade evenly over the chicken.
Roasting the Chicken: Bake the chicken and vegetables for 30 minutes, uncovered. Then, cover with a lid (or loosely tent with aluminum foil) and bake for an additional 60 minutes.
Remove the cover and cook the chicken and vegetables for a final 5 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the chicken is cooked through. You know your chicken is cooked when the juices run clear and the internal temperature reaches 175F (79C).
Remove from the oven and let the chicken stand for 10 minutes before slicing.
Transfer the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter and serve and enjoy!
Notes:
Preparing the Chicken: You want to give the uncooked chicken ample time to come to room temperature prior to roasting. This will allow for even cooking and produce a juicy bird. Cooking a cold chicken can lead to uneven cooking, a longer cook time and produce a drier chicken.
Crispy Chicken Skin: To achieve the crispiest chicken skin, pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. This will remove excess moisture and allow the skin to crisp up.
Resting the Chicken: As soon as the chicken comes out of the oven, you’ll want to dig right in. But, don’t! Slicing the chicken too early will cause the juices to run. You worked so hard to create that lovely jus - so instead you want to let the chicken rest for 10 minutes after roasting. This will allow the juices to be reabsorbed by the chicken and distributed throughout, producing a tender and juicy bird.