How to make the perfect Nando’s peri peri chicken. Who can resist peri peri chicken?? Well definitely not me. Especially if you have eaten at Nando’s….You know exactly what I’m talking about. Juicy chicken, with that awesome flavor that you can’t get enough of. Well now you can get that great taste and enjoy peri peri chicken at home with this super easy recipe.

Peri peri chicken is a flavorsome spicy chicken dish and originates from South Africa and Portugal. Chicken pieces are marinated in a robust sauce then left to marinate before grilling up. Marinate the chicken overnight to get the best flavors. The chicken can be cooked over a firing grill for that awesome barbecue taste or simply cooked in an oven.

More about this Nando’s peri peri chicken recipe

The main secret to this peri peri chicken is in the marinade of course. The sauce that is used to marinate the chicken is loaded with spices and flavorful ingredients. These ingredients combined together make a robust sauce that flavors the chicken so well and gives the chicken its unique taste and peri peri flavor.

Fresh ingredients and spices are added into a blender until everything is well combined. This Nando’s marinade/sauce will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks. So it’s prefect to store away in a glass jar or bottle and marinate your chicken whenever you are craving Nando’s peri peri chicken. The extra sauce can also be used to brush the chicken in the last few minutes of cooking to get that extra depth of flavor. Peri peri chicken can be cooked according to the spice level that best suits you so the spice level can be adjusted to your preference by adding more or less spices.

Peri peri chicken is best served right away on the day it has been cooked. Complement this peri peri chicken with popular sides like Nando’s spicy rice(check out the recipe) and grilled corn on the cob. Enjoy trying out this recipe on how to make the perfect Nando’s peri peri chicken you wont be disappointed!!

The Perfect Peri Peri Chicken Recipe

Recipe by Shema Course: MainCuisine: PortugeseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time for oven recipe

40

minutes

Cooking time for barbeque

15

minutes

Marinate time

2-4

hours or overnight

Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 skin on chicken leg quarters, thigh and drumstick

• For the marinade

• 1/2 cup of olive oil
  

• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
  

• 5 birds-eye chills or 1 habenaro/scotch bonnet pepper (adjust spice level to preference)
  

• 6 cloves of garlic
  

• 2 medium onions roughly chopped
  

• 4 teaspoons of dried oregano
  

• 4 teaspoons of paprika
  

• 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
  

• 4 teaspoons of salt
  

• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
  

• 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
  

• Juice of 1 lemon
  

• Juice of 1 lime

Directions

• Add all the marinade ingredients into a blender
• Blitz/pulse until all ingredients are well combined
• Pour marinade into glass jar or bottle
• Clean and pat dry chicken leg pieces. Use sharp to get a few slashes on chicken pieces. Can have the chicken as quarter pieces full leg or cut into thigh and drumstick pieces
• Add chicken into a mixing bowl
• Add in half of the marinade
• Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade and cover the bowl with plastic wrap
• Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours or preferably overnight for the best flavor
• Store remaining sauce/marinade in the refrigerator, will stay good for up to 6 weeks and can also be used to brush the chicken during the last few minutes of cooking
• To oven bake
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
• Take chicken out of refrigerator 10-15 minutes before cooking
• Line large baking tray with foil
• Place chicken pieces onto baking tray and cook in the oven for 40 minutes, turning over half way at 20 minutes and brushing with some of the untouched extra sauce in the last 5 minutes
• Rest chicken for 5-6 minutes before serving. Chicken should be perfectly cooked with a internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (use a food thermometer)
• For grilling method
• Prepare a medium high 400-475 degrees Fahrenheit gas or charcoal grill
• Brush grill with oil or cooking spray
  
• Place chicken skin side down
• Grill the chicken pieces flipping once, total time 15 minutes
• Brush chicken with some of the untouched sauce in the last 3-4 mintutes
• Chicken should be thoroughly cooked with a internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a food thermometer to check by inserting probe into thickest part of chicken
• Rest chicken for a few minutes before serving
• Enjoy peri peri chicken with sides of Nando’s spicy rice and grilled corn on the cob!

Notes

• Best to serve chicken on the day it is cooked.