The best Peri Peri Chicken EVER!
Moist chicken marinated in homemade garlic, lemon, chilli sauce. Cooked in the oven or on the BBQ for an extra smokey flavour.
You may think you have had the best Peri Per Chicken in the past, but this dish is AMAZING! All the tang, flavour and just enough heat to keep you coming back for more. Plus the recipe is Gluten-free, low carb and very keto friendly. This is a dish that will suit the whole family.
Some Piri Piri Chicken recipes require the chicken to marinate overnight, or even up to 24 hours but I've found using this method prevents the chicken skin become as crisp and delicious as I like. The increased marinating time also didn't seem to add any flavour benefits so I recommend only marinating the chicken for up to one hour.
What is Peri Peri Chicken?
A deliciously zingy lemon, chili and garlic chicken made famous by the Nandos Portuguese chicken chain. The chicken can be served in a salad, over rice or the chicken meat can be added to a burger.
Is it Peri Peri or Piri Piri?
Piri Piri is the type of chili which is traditionally used in this dish. The sauce is commonly used in Portuguese dishes and the Portuguese tend to spell the dish Piri Piri. In South Africa, it’s more common to see the dish spelt Peri Peri. So the answer is both terms are correct.
Is Peri Peri Chicken Portuguese or South African
Countries are always fighting over who "invented" a dish! Peri Peri chicken is a South African/Portuguese dish. Both countries like to take credit for the dish. The most commonly accepted view is the dish developed from Portuguese immigrants moving to South Africa.
The founding owners of Nandos further highlight the multicultural aspect of the dish. The chain was started by South Africa Robert Brozin and Portuguese Fernando Duarte. The pairing of the two is responsible for Nandos chicken and I think foodies all over the world were the real winners.
Keto Piri Piri Chicken?
This dish only has 4g of net carbohydrates so if you're following the keto diet the dish would be suitable. Serve with a green salad or cauliflower rice to keep the carbohydrates low in the overall meal.
What cut of chicken is best for homemade Portuguese Chicken?
This is one of the very few dishes which I like to use chicken pieces with the skin on and bones in place. Using these cuts will give the dish more flavour and the finished product will be deliciously crisp and moist, plus you will also have yummy, fatty, flavour covered skin to enjoy.
I chose a selection of wings, drumsticks and thighs for this dish. If I was making Peri Peri Chicken Burgers I would use boneless chicken thigh fillets and cook for only 20 minutes at the same temperature.
Peri peri chicken can be spicy or mild. The beauty of this recipe is the base sauce is packed with flavour, so if you don't like chilli you can leave it out altogether. If you're a chili lover then up the heat by adding another birdseye chilli to the marinade.
How to Make Portuguese Chicken
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Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 black peppercorns
- 20 g garlic
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 orange juice only
- 1 long red chilli
- 1-2 birdseye chilli
- 25 g brown sugar or coconut blossom sugar
- 2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon smokey paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 drops red food colouring
- 45 g vegetable oil
- 1.2 kg chicken pieces skin on and bone in place
Instructions
- Place garlic, peppercorns, lemon zest, long chill and birds eye chilli in TM Bowl. Chop 5 sec/Speed 9
- Add lemon juice, orange juice, oil, sweet and smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, brown sugar and red food colouring, (if using)to TM Bowl. Combine 10 sec/Speed 5.
- Pour the marinade into a large ziplock bag.
- Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and refrigerate for one hour.
- Pre-heat oven to 200°C. Line a roasting tray with baking paper.
- Pour the contents of the ziplock bag into the roasting dish. Arrange the chicken so the skin is facing up. Bake 45 minutes
- Once the chicken is cooked baste the skin with any residual cooking liquid from the roasting pan.
- Serve immediately with cooking liquids.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I love Peri-Peri chicken and whenever I make this dish the family devour every piece of chicken in record time. They seem to prefer my homemade version of Nandos chickens to the real thing. I find this version much healthier tasting also.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Please feel free to leave me a comment. I love hearing from everyone 🙂Rating the recipe once you’ve made the dish helps other readers decide whether to make my dishes, so I would love it if you could come back and let everyone know what you think.
Lesley Lyttle says
Hi Julie
I am about to embark on your Peri Peri chicken. Would you be kind enough to send me the links for Apple Slaw and your mayonnaise please? I am thoroughly enjoying your demonstrations. Thank you.
Lesley Lyttle
Julie Carlyle says
Hi Lesley
I am so pleased you are making the Peri Peri Chicken. Here is the link for the Aplle Slaw. https://www.thermo.kitchen/thermomix-coleslaw-with-lime-aioli/
The mayonnaise recipe is included. To make it into a Perinnaise, just leave some of the Peri Peri sauce in the bottom of the TM bowl. Make sure you tast the mayonnaise and adjust the lemon and salt to your own taste.
I hope you enjoy the recipes.
Happy Cooking
Julie xx
Vicki Tonkin says
awesome loved it especially on the 2nd day. I'm going to double the sauce. MORE SAUCE
Julie Carlyle says
Hi Vicki
I am so pleased you enjoyed the recipe!
Yes the sauce can be a bit addictive, especially if you add some to a homemade mayonnaise for burritos and salads. YUM.
Lovely to see you on the site 🙂
Happy Cooking
Julie
Noelene says
Hi Julie. Made this last night. It was full of flavour. I did reduce the amount of sugar. I liked the idea for Aioli but had an avocado to use up so just added that with some oil and lemon juice and whipped up a lovely dressing with the
leftover marinade. Will be making this often this summer. Making your Malabar prawn curry tonight, Cacciatore tomorrow night and the egg curry on Sunday. Would love to make your Pesto chicken risotto (which I love) but I’m trying to go low carb. Do you think it would work with cauliflower rice? Thank you
Julie Carlyle says
Hi Noelene
I am super happy that your enjoying my recipes, it honestly makes me so happy to hear!!
I think it’s a great idea to use cauliflower rice in the pesto chicken risotto. However I would only lightly steam the rice and then stir through the other cooked ingredients.
I may have to put a recipe up for this idea!!
Thanks so much for your lovely comments.
Julie
Renae Bailey says
One of the first meals i have made in the thermomix and am really pleased with the results. Ill surely be making this again
Arabella Jorgen says
Loved the spicy aioli, great addition
Ingrid Dubbe says
Hi Julie, this seems like a delicious recipe and I want to make it very soon. Besides the reserved marinade, garlic, egg and apple cider vinegar, how much oil and garlic do you add for the Piri Piri aïoli in the video? Greetings from the Netherlands
Julie Carlyle says
Hi Ingrid
Wow! I am so pleased to get a visitor from The Netherlands. The mayonnaise uses 300gm of a mild flavoured oil.
Happy cooking
Julie
Ingrid Dubbe says
Thank you for ansering. You have got a beautiful website here 👍
Julie Carlyle says
My pleasure Ingrid.
Thank you
J x
Curry Smuggler says
Thanks for sharing. YUM
Debra says
made this for dinner tonight I used drumsticks and when it was cooked I added some sour cream to the marinade mix and heated until it thickened so freaking yummy will def be making again
Julie Carlyle says
Hi Debra
WOW! What a great idea to add the cream to the sauce!! YUMMO
Thanks so much for sharing
🙂