Frango Piri-Piri — Portuguese Piri-Piri Chicken

Spatchcocked chicken marinated in a fiery piri-piri sauce and grilled or roasted until charred and juicy.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 20 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 whole chicken (about 1.6kg), spatchcocked
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 6 to 8 fresh red bird's eye chillies (or 2 tbsp piri-piri sauce)
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 4 cloves garlic
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 1 red pepper, roasted or from a jar, drained
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 4 tbsp olive oil
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • For the piri-piri sauce: juice of 1 lemon
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 1 tsp dried oregano
  • For the piri-piri sauce: 1 tsp salt
  • Chips and salad, to serve

Method

  1. Blend all the piri-piri sauce ingredients to a rough purée. Reserve a quarter of the sauce for serving.

  2. Slash the chicken skin and flesh a few times with a knife. Rub with the remaining sauce, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

  3. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Place the chicken skin-side up on a rack in a roasting tin.

  4. Roast for 45 to 50 minutes until the skin is charred in places and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced.

  5. Rest for 10 minutes, carve and serve with the reserved sauce, chips and salad.