Peri Peri Marinated Chicken skewers

Peri Peri Chicken Skewers – flavor-packed BBQ chicken skewers marinated in a spicy pepper, garlic, lemon, basil and oregano sauce. Prepare and marinate overnight and you’ll have extra delicious skewered meat come grilling time! Great for entertaining!

Perhaps chicken skewers are not the first thing that pops in your mind when you think of firing up the grill. There’s just a lot of competition in this field – we’re talking about steaks, beef kabobs, corn, hotdogs and more. But I think you just might change your discernment after you give these Peri Peri Chicken Skewers a go. These are super flavorful and a cinch to make. After slicing and threading, the rest is just a breeze!

What is Peri Peri Chicken?

Peri Peri Chicken is a chicken meat marinated or seasoned in a vibrant, spicy, complex yet flavorful marinade that also doubles up as a dipping sauce. The marinade/sauce is primarily made with three (3) kinds of pepper: red pepper, jalapeno pepper and chili pepper. To neutralize the heat level of this marinade, we add some onions, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon juice and coconut milk. Flavorful is an understatement when it comes to describing this well-beloved grilled chicken recipe.

What’s the Difference Between Peri Peri and Piri Piri?

There’s actually no difference between the two. Piri Piri is the same thing with Peri Peri or Pili Pili that can either be hyphenated or spelled as one word. For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Peri Peri is a chili pepper that grows both wild and as a crop often cited as Africa’s bird’s eye chili.

Piri Piri Sauce

Peri Peri marinade is a complex sauce that I seem to enjoy every now and then. A popular hot pepper  sauce made out of chili peppers that is enjoyed in many parts of the world. It is spicy, sour, a little sweet and slightly salty – making it a really complex and versatile sauce that you can use on almost anything. In fact, I created a post just dedicated to it right HERE. So check it out!

Can I Use The Peri Peri Marinade as a Sauce?

Yes, you sure can! To prepare it as dipping sauce, all you have to do is simmer the remaining marinade and the excess one from the chicken for about 7 minutes. Then you can serve this as a lovely flavorful dipping sauce for your grilled meat! Just like these Mozambique Chicken HERE, you can be a little more adventurous and add some coconut milk to it. It helps intensify the flavor and somewhat balances out the heat.

Can You Prepare the Chicken Skewers the Night Before?

What I like about this peri peri chicken is that it allows you to prepare the skewers ahead of time so you can spend your day relaxing till you are ready to fire up the grill. How great is that? You can cut them in chunks and soak in the marinade overnight in a container. Or thread the meat in skewers and marinate so all you have to do the following day is fire up the grill.

How Do You Prepare Peri Peri Chicken Skewers?

It’s not that hard to make this grilled dish. As a matter of fact, you can sort of divide the steps just like below and do it in advance for a hassle-free grilling day.

Making the sauce. Blend red pepper, jalapeno pepper, chili pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, and onions in a food processor or blender. Add olive oil or coconut milk to facilitate blending. Then mix in smoked paprika, lemon juice black and or white pepper. At this point, you can store it in a jar and keep in the fridge for weeks or up to a month. Use it when ready to marinate the chicken.

Marinating the chicken. Trim any excess fat from the chicken and pat dry. Next, cut them into 2-inch chunks and then season with chicken bouillon and pepper or adobo mix. You can either marinate the chicken now or thread then marinate. Make sure the skewer is fully covered with chicken chunks. Place in a zip lock bag, or sealed containers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Grilling time. Using a tong, remove excess marinate and reserve, then pre-heat grill to medium-high heat. You may also use a grilling pan. Grill the chicken for 10-15 minutes while rotating from side to side for even cooking.

Simmering the sauce. You can serve the chicken skewers as is OR make an extra effort to simmer the extra marinade which only takes about 7 minutes to serve along with the grilled meat.

What to Serve with Peri Peri Chicken Skewers?

You can serve  alongside some kachumbari, featured here (cucumber tomato relish), salad or rice. Either way, everyone will be sure to gobble these up INSTANTLY! Below are my top favorite to serve along with this skewered meat:

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Three-Bean Salad

Macaroni Salad

Jollof Rice

Yellow Rice

Vinegar Coleslaw

You know you can completely eliminate the Peri peri peppers, sub with any hot pepper and/or adjust to taste. YOU DECIDE! Lastly, a word to the wise – double or triple up and you will be glad you did!

Enjoy!

How To Make Peri Peri Chicken Skewers

Soak the skewers for at least 60 minutes or more totally submerged in water before using it to prevent burns. You may skip this part if pan grilling. Blend red pepper, jalapeno pepper, chili pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, and onions in a food processor or blender. Add olive oil, coconut milk to facilitate blending. Then mix in smoked paprika, lemon juice black and or white pepper. Refrigerate and use when ready. You may make this a day or more ahead of time.

Trim chicken thighs of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. Cut chicken thighs into 2-inch chunk. Season with salt, chicken bouillon and pepper or adobo seasoning mix.

You can either marinate the chicken now or thread then marinate-about 4 pieces per skewer. Making sure the skewer is fully covered with chicken chunks. Place in a zip lock bag, or sealed containers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to grill. Using tong, remove excess marinate and reserve. Pre-heat grill to medium- high heat. Place chicken over medium heat, and then brush with oil to prevent chicken from sticking. Grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, rotating from sides for even cooking. Keep an eye on it — if they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down. Grill in batches if you have a small grill. Transfer the skewers to a platter. In a small saucepan simmer the remaining peri peri marinade and the one from the chicken for about 7 minutes. Serve with chicken

This recipe was first published on June 2017 and has been updated with additional written content.

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Peri Peri Marinated Chicken Skewers

Peri Peri Chicken Skewers - flavor-packed BBQ chicken skewers marinated in a spicy pepper, garlic, lemon, basil and oregano sauce. Prepare the night before and let it marinate overnight and you'll have extra delicious skewered meat come grilling time! Great for entertaining!

5 from 5 votes

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr

African

Servings 5

Ingredients

• ▢ 2-3 pound boneless skinless chicken thigh trimmed
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1- teaspoon chicken bouillon optional
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil or more
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped onions
• ▢ ¼ medium red pepper
• ▢ 1 fresh jalapeno peppers coarsely chopped, seeds removed
• ▢ 1 fresh chili pepper or more coarsely chopped adjust to taste more or less
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ 3-4 garlic cloves
• ▢ Juice of I medium sized lemon adjust to taste
• ▢ 4-6 large basil leaves
• ▢ 2-3 tablespoons fresh oregano
• ▢ ½ cup coconut milk optional

Instructions

• Soak the skewers for at least 60 minutes or more totally submerged in water before using it to prevent burns. You may skip this part if pan grilling.
• Blend red pepper, jalapeno pepper, chili pepper, garlic, basil, oregano, and onions in a food processor or blender. Add olive oil, coconut milk to facilitate blending. Then mix in smoked paprika, lemon juice black and or white pepper
• Refrigerate and use when ready. You may make this a day or more ahead of time.
• Trim chicken thighs of excess fat and pat dry with a cloth or paper napkin. Cut chicken thighs into 2-inch chunk.
• Season with salt, chicken bouillon and pepper or adobo seasoning mix. You can either marinate the chicken now or thread then marinate-about 4 pieces per skewer. Making sure the skewer is fully covered with chicken chunks.
• Place in a zip lock bag, or sealed containers and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
• When ready to grill. Using tong remove excess marinates and reserve.
• Pre heat grill to medium- high heat.
• Place chicken over medium heat, and then brush with oil to prevent chicken from sticking. Grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, rotating from sides for even cooking. Keep an eye on it -- if they are browning too quickly, turn the heat down.
• Grill in batches if you have a small grill. Transfer the skewers to a platter.
• In a small saucepan simmer the remaining peri peri marinade and the one from the chicken for about 7 minutes. Serve with chicken

Tips & Notes:

1. Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 279kcal (14%)| Carbohydrates: 4g (1%)| Protein: 36g (72%)| Fat: 12g (18%)| Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)| Cholesterol: 172mg (57%)| Sodium: 170mg (7%)| Potassium: 588mg (17%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 1g (1%)| Vitamin A: 595IU (12%)| Vitamin C: 25.2mg (31%)| Calcium: 56mg (6%)| Iron: 3.1mg (17%)

Author: Imma

Course: Appetizer, Main

Cuisine: African

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