5-Ingredient Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken

Name: 5-Ingredient Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 4

portuguese piri-piri chicken 5-ingredient spicy grilled african-portuguese marinated fiery barbecue

Fiery Portuguese piri piri chicken with authentic African bird's eye chili marinade, creating the perfect balance of heat, garlic, and citrus in this beloved Portuguese classic.

Recipe Details

Units:

Metric Imperial

Servings:

Prep: 20 Cook: 25

Ingredients

1.5kg3.3 lb whole chicken, spatchcocked
120ml1/2 cup piri piri sauce (or hot sauce)
6 cloves6 cloves garlic, minced
2 lemons2 lemons lemons, juiced
60ml1/4 cup Portuguese olive oil

Instructions

Spatchcock the 1.5kg3.3 lb whole chicken by removing the backbone with kitchen shears and flattening it completely. This ensures even cooking and crispy skin all over.
In a bowl, combine the 120ml1/2 cup piri piri sauce (or hot sauce), 6 cloves6 cloves garlic, 2 lemons2 lemons lemons juice, and 60ml1/4 cup Portuguese olive oil to create the marinade. Reserve 2 tablespoons for basting during cooking.
Score the chicken skin in several places and rub the marinade all over, working it under the skin where possible. Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and grill skin-side down for 12-15 minutes until the skin is charred and crispy.
Flip the chicken and continue grilling for 10-12 minutes, basting with reserved marinade, until the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part.
Let rest for 10 minutes before carving. The chicken should have a beautiful charred exterior with fiery, garlicky flavors and juicy, tender meat inside.

Ingredients

id: whole_chicken metric: 1.5kg imperial: 3.3 lb name: whole chicken, spatchcocked
id: piri_piri_sauce metric: 120ml imperial: 1/2 cup name: piri piri sauce (or hot sauce)
id: garlic metric: 6 cloves imperial: 6 cloves name: garlic, minced
id: lemon metric: 2 lemons imperial: 2 lemons name: lemons, juiced
id: olive_oil metric: 60ml imperial: 1/4 cup name: Portuguese olive oil

Instructions

Spatchcock the {whole_chicken} by removing the backbone with kitchen shears and flattening it completely. This ensures even cooking and crispy skin all over.
In a bowl, combine the {piri_piri_sauce}, {garlic}, {lemon} juice, and {olive_oil} to create the marinade. Reserve 2 tablespoons for basting during cooking.
Score the chicken skin in several places and rub the marinade all over, working it under the skin where possible. Marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and grill skin-side down for 12-15 minutes until the skin is charred and crispy.
Flip the chicken and continue grilling for 10-12 minutes, basting with reserved marinade, until the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F) in the thickest part.
Let rest for 10 minutes before carving. The chicken should have a beautiful charred exterior with fiery, garlicky flavors and juicy, tender meat inside.

Tips

Spatchcocking Technique: Removing the backbone and flattening the chicken reduces cooking time by half and ensures even heat distribution for perfectly cooked meat.

Piri Piri Heat: Authentic piri piri sauce is quite spicy. If unavailable, use sriracha or another hot sauce, but the flavor won't be quite the same.

Marinating Time: The longer you marinate, the more the flavors penetrate. Overnight marinating creates the most authentic, deeply flavored result.

Skin Scoring: Score the skin to help the marinade penetrate and prevent the skin from shrinking during cooking.

Temperature Monitoring: Use a meat thermometer to ensure doneness - the thickest part of the thigh should reach 74°C (165°F).

Serving Tradition: Serve with Portuguese rice, grilled vegetables, or crusty bread. Cold beer is the traditional accompaniment to cool the heat.

Tips

Spatchcocking Technique: Removing the backbone and flattening the chicken reduces cooking time by half and ensures even heat distribution for perfectly cooked meat.

Piri Piri Heat: Authentic piri piri sauce is quite spicy. If unavailable, use sriracha or another hot sauce, but the flavor won't be quite the same.

Marinating Time: The longer you marinate, the more the flavors penetrate. Overnight marinating creates the most authentic, deeply flavored result.

Skin Scoring: Score the skin to help the marinade penetrate and prevent the skin from shrinking during cooking.

Temperature Monitoring: Use a meat thermometer to ensure doneness - the thickest part of the thigh should reach 74°C (165°F).

Serving Tradition: Serve with Portuguese rice, grilled vegetables, or crusty bread. Cold beer is the traditional accompaniment to cool the heat.

Categories & Tags

Category:

Main Dishes

Tags:

portuguese piri-piri chicken 5-ingredient spicy grilled african-portuguese marinated fiery barbecue