Piri-Piri Grilled Chicken
Piri-piri chicken is a spicy Portuguese dish that was created in Africa by Portuguese settlers. The traditional hot pepper used in this dish is African Bird’s Eye Peppers grown in Africa. However, a variety of hot peppers are a great substitute in this recipe.
Ingredients
- For the Marinade:
- 3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 tablespoon Filippo Berio olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1 shallot cut into quarters
- 2 pounds chicken drumsticks
- 4 bone-in Chicken thighs
- Piri Piri Sauce
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher Salt & Pepper
- 2 long green or red peppers see note
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- ½ cup chopped Cilantro
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Combine ingredients for marinade in a food-safe resealable bag – Lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and shallot. Add chicken, seal bag and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
- Meanwhile, prepare Piri-Piri sauce. See note regarding red chilis before beginning.
- In a food processor, add juice of one lemon, chili peppers, garlic, paprika, olive oil and cilantro. Process until smooth.
- Preheat outdoor grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove chicken from marinade, season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Using a pastry brush, brush Piri-Piri sauce all over chicken.
- Place Grill chicken over medium heat, cook for about 35 minutes, turning half-way through.
- Notes:
- Before working with any hot peppers, wearing rubber gloves is strongly recommended.
- Types of peppers you can use for this recipe: Long green or red peppers, chili peppers, serrano peppers, jalapeno peppers, guagillo. However, the traditional recipe is prepared using African Bird’s Eye Peppers grown in Africa!
- Which ever pepper you decide to use, remember the heat if found in the seeds, remove seeds to reduce the heat intensity of this dish if desired.
Notes
Recipe by: Jacqueline Gomes, MBA, RDN
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