Peri Peri Chicken (Plus VIDEO)

Content… What Is It? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Deliciously Satisfying Chicken Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

What Is Peri-Peri Chicken?

It is a spicy chicken dish, also known as Piri Piri Chicken, created in Angola and Mozambique when Portuguese settlers came with chili peppers called piri piri. The chicken is marinated in peri-peri sauce and other seasonings before grilling.

This delicious hot sauce blends piri piri chilies, lemon, olive oil, herbs, and spices with a perfect balance of sour, sweet, and salty. The complex and versatile sauce goes great on any meat, like chicken, pork, and beef.

Recipe Ingredients 

1. Chicken – You can grill any part of the chicken or even cut up a whole chicken and marinate it.
2. Rub – Rubbing the chicken with lemon or lime adds freshness and balances flavor. It also helps the Creole seasoning or S&P to stick.
3. Peri Peri Marinade – The secret to ImmaculateBites peri-peri sauce is my homemade piri piri sauce. Add onion, garlic, red bell pepper, basil, oregano, and white pepper for a flavor-intense marinade. Bring it all together with some olive oil and watch the magic happen.

How to Make Peri Peri Chicken

Marinate the Chicken

• Trim chicken of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. (Photo 1)
• Rub with lemon and 2 teaspoons of Creole spice or salt and pepper. (Photo 2)
• Marinade – Place the onions, garlic, basil, oregano, bell pepper, and peri peri sauce in a food processor or blender, then add olive oil. Pulse for about 30 seconds until well blended. (Photos 3-4)
• Marinate – Put the chicken in a stainless steel or glass bowl and drench with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. (Photos 5-6)

Grill the Chicken

• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Drain – When ready to grill, remove the chicken from the marinade with tongs and drain excess marinade. Reserve the marinade. (Photo 7)
• Grill the chicken for 10-15 minutes on each side. You may need to turn the chicken occasionally until it cooks through. (Photos 8-9)
• Sauce – Simmer the reserved peri-peri marinade in a small saucepan for about 7 minutes. Serve with chicken and sides. (Photo 10)

Recipe Variations

1. Chicken swap. Feel free to use pork, beef, lamb, and even fish. But remember to adjust the cooking time since it varies depending on the size and meat used.
2. Baked Chicken – Bake them at 400℉ (205℃) for 35-40 minutes on a rainy day when you don’t want to grill. The internal temperature should reach 165℉ (75℃).
3. Peri Peri Chicken Bowl – Serve your chicken over steaming Cajun rice or Jamaican rice and peas for the ultimate comfort food combo.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Marinate your chicken for about 12 hours to absorb all the flavors for the best results.

Refrigerate the marinated chicken in an airtight container or ziplock bag for 2 days maximum or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Pro Tip: Marinating your chicken for over 2 days may make the chicken mushy because the acids start to break down the chicken’s protein fibers. If you won’t be able to cook it within 24 hours, it’s better to freeze it.

Refrigerate leftover grilled chicken in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Or freeze it for up to 4 months.

Thaw frozen chicken in the fridge overnight and reheat it in one of the following ways:

1. Oven – Transfer to a baking dish and add just enough chicken stock to keep the chicken from drying out. Bake for 10-15 minutes in a 350°F (180℃) oven until internal temperature reaches 165°F.
2. Stovetop – Heat the skillet on medium and add enough chicken broth to keep the chicken from drying out. Add the chicken, put the lid on, and simmer until heated through.
3. Microwave – Add a drizzle of olive oil or butter to keep the moisture and flavor. Loosely cover and heat in pulses for about 2 minutes. If it’s not hot enough, flip the chicken and heat it again in 30-second bursts until it’s hot enough.

What to Serve With Peri Peri Chicken

Steamed rice and dinner rolls are perfect with this baked chicken. But jollof rice and baked plantains are fantastic.

More Deliciously Satisfying Chicken Recipes to Try

1. Smoked Chicken Legs
2. Instant Pot Whole Chicken
3. Blackened Spatchcock Chicken
4. Tuscan Chicken
5. Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast

Watch How to Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”pVSxYN5C” upload-date=”2021-08-09T07:00:00.000Z” name=”Peri Peri Chicken” description=”Peri-Peri Chicken – a mildly spicy luscious chicken dish bursting with interesting complex flavors from Peri-Peri Sauce, Creole Seasoning, lemon, and herbs. Grilled to perfection until tender and juicy. Certainly, a mouthwatering chicken recipe that is amazingly good whether it’s grilled or baked.” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]

This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated with new photos, a video, and additional information