This Portuguese Chicken recipe, also known as Peri Peri Chicken, is one of those dishes that makes winter a little more bearable. It’s hearty and satisfying and warms the soul with its deep, smoky flavors. The prep time is relatively short and the oven does much of the work. During the cold months, I try to utilize the oven as much as possible.
What is Peri Peri Chicken?
Traditional Portuguese Chicken is called Peri Peri Chicken (or sometimes Piri Piri Chicken) and made with Piri Piri peppers which actually originated in South Africa, and were imported to Portugal from two Portuguese colonies, Angola and Mozambique, on spice ships. Today, the peppers are used widely throughout Portugal to make marinades, basting liquids, condiments and hot sauces.
There is nothing quite as satisfying as a simple roast chicken, just pulled from the oven, aromas wafting through house, infusing heart and home with warmth and comfort. Winter has arrived, dropping snow on the fallen leaves. It seemed to happen so quickly this year, the changing of the seasons. My initial reaction, truthfully, is resistance to the abrupt ending of fall and the beginning of the long winter to come. And yet, I’m lured into acceptance by little things – the sound of the crackling fire, the snowflakes, the stack of books waiting to be read, and warm comforting meals.
Peri Peri Chicken | 60-sec video
Peri Peri Chicken Ingredient Notes
- Chilies: Unfortunately, peri peri peppers aren’t easily available here, or if they are, I haven’t found them, so for this recipe, I substituted less spicy Ancho Chilies. This is a one-star dish, as far as heat goes. So if you like heat, you may want to add more. The Ancho Chilies also add a nice depth to the marinade.
- Peri Peri Marinade: Smoked paprika, dried ancho chilies, and fresh garlic are at the base of this flavorful, deep, smoky marinade. It looks spicy, but don’t be deceived – this version is not over-the-top spicy, and I’d only call it a “one-star” on the spiciness scale. It really lets the other flavors come through.
- Chicken: I always try to find organic, pasture-raised chickens, which to me have the best flavor and texture. Use the best quality chicken you can. If you are short on time, use chicken pieces, to save a step.
How to make Peri Peri Chicken
STEp 1: Spatchcock the chicken
Place the whole chicken, breast-side down on a cutting board.
Using sharp kitchen shears, remove the spine, cutting on each side of the spine.
Open the chicken wide and turn it over so the breast side now faces up.
Press down firmly on the breastbone of the chicken to flatten. You may hear some cracking which can be disconcerting the first time. Just press down as hard as you can. And that’s it- you’ve spatchcocked a chicken!
Step 2: Make the Peri-Peri Marinade
In a blender or food processor, blend the marinade ingredients into a thick paste. Brush the marinade all over both sides of the chicken, saving the rest for basting while in the oven.
STEP 3: Assemble the Peri peri Chicken
If making the crispy potatoes that go with this, (which I highly suggest) brush marinade on the bottom of your sheet pan. Sweet potatoes would also work well.
TIP: Do not use a 9×13 inch baking dish– use a large, rimmed, metal sheet pan for best results. This enamel pan is deceiving, it is very large ( 16×22).
Layer thinly sliced potatoes, overlapping only slightly, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken, skin side down, tucking the wings under, over top of the potatoes. You could do all of the 1 day ahead and refrigerate (letting it come to room temp before baking.)
Step 4: Bake the Peri Peri Chicken!
Place on the middle rack of a 425F pre-heated oven. After 15 minutes, turn the chicken over and roast for another 15 minutes, basting with more marinade after flipping. Continue cooking until chicken is cooked through, and the leg reaches 165F. Depending on the size of the chicken, this could be 20-50 more minutes.
Then give a good broil in the oven so skin gets crispy and slightly charred in places. This is important!
The flavorful juices from the Peri-Peri Chicken and marinade will seep into the potatoes which will have softened and also become crispy a nice contrast. Place it in the oven.
Step 5: Make the Green Sauce
While the peri peri chicken bakes make the flavorful green sauce. Cilantro and yogurt are combined to make a delicious cooling sauce- a delicious accompaniment to the smoky chicken.
What to serve with Peri Peri Chicken?
We love serving this with a hearty green salad. Either our Caesar Salad, this Kale salad, Caprese Salad or this Arugula Salad.
How to store Peri Peri Chicken
Leftovers can be stored up to 4 days in the fridge, in an airtight container, or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
I hope you enjoy this delicious Peri Peri Chicken! Leave your comments, adaptions, and rating below. Always appreciated!
Cheers and love,
More Chicken recipes you’ll love!
- Coq Au Vin
- Berbere Chicken with Ethiopian Lentils
- How to Spatchcock a Chicken
- Chicken Tagine
- Cuban Mojo Chicken
- Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada)
- Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup)
- Portuguese Prawns and Cauliflower & Grits
- How to Roast a Whole Chicken!
- Harissa Chicken (or Tofu) with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Lebanese Chicken with 7-Spice
Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 70 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Main, chicken recipe, sheet-pan dinner
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Portuguese
Description
This Peri Peri Chicken recipe results in crispy, smoky chicken that is tender and juicy, with the most flavorful peri peri marinade! Bake it over potatoes and serve with the Green Sauce!
Ingredients
- 1 small Whole Chicken (3–4 lbs) or sub chicken pieces ( see notes)
- 1 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon or reds), thinly sliced ( 1/4 inch thick)
Marinade:
- 2 Dried Ancho Chilies-rehydrated
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice.
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cilantro Sauce:
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F
- Rehydrate dried chilies in a small pot of simmering water on the stove for 20 minutes. Remove stem and seeds.
- Butterfly the chicken: Rinse inside and out, removing innards. Pat dry. Place on a cutting board, breast down. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the spine, remove and discard. Turn the chicken over, and placing your hand on the breast bone, press down hard with the palm of your hand, to flatten.
- Make the marinade by blending the marinade ingredients into a paste with a blender or food processor. Brush a layer of the marinade on the bottom of your large sheet pan.
- Place the thinly sliced potatoes on top of the marinade and sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt, overlapping slightly but not too much.
- Brush all sides and crevasses of the chicken with the marinade, coating fairly heavily. (You will add more marinade during cooking, so be sure to save the remaining.) Place chicken, skin side down on the potatoes and place in the hot oven.
- Turn chicken over after 15 minutes, and place back in the oven. After 15 minutes, brush more marinade all over the chicken on the skin side, really lathering it up. Return to the oven and bake until cooked through another 15-30 minutes, or until leg/ thigh reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. The bigger the chicken, the longer this will take. ( A large, 5-6 pound chicken may take an additional 20 minutes!) To crisp the skin and get it deeply brown, broil for a few minutes. A little char is good here!!! Remove chicken when done and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. You can continue to cook the potatoes or crisp them up ( with broiler) while resting the chicken and cutting it into pieces.
- While chicken is roasting, combine Cilantro Sauce ingredients together, either in a bowl- mixing by hand, or in a food processor. Serve cilantro sauce on the side.
Notes
For a healthier version, use skinless boneless chicken thighs, or breast. Feel free to marinate overnight in a zip lock bag. Cooking time will shorten significantly, so you may have to remove chicken and let potatoes continue cooking to get them crispy.
For WHOLE CHICKENS! The baking time for the chicken will vary depending on the size (weight) of the chicken. This one in the photos was a small 3.5 pound chicken. Larger 5-6 lb chickens will take longer in the oven ( 70-90 minutes). So plan accordingly.
***Use a large rimmed metal sheet pan, rather than a glass baking dish so air can circulate and potatoes can get crispy! (This enamel baking dish in the photos is much larger than it looks! )
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 2.2 g
- Sodium: 1295.2 mg
- Fat: 15.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.2 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 54.3 g
- Cholesterol: 165.5 mg
I have decided to make this for Dinner tonight. My husband is old world Portuguese. I tasted the marinade before putting it on the Chicken, very good flavour. Will let you know how it turns out.
I absolutely love this recipe. I am making this dish tonight (as I did last year) for our Christmas gathering. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The potato/chicken combo makes it great because it is all one, flavorful dish. A lettuce salad with blueberries and/or raspberries with Gorgonzola and candied walnuts make a perfect meal. Oh, and don’t forget the cornbread made in a cast iron pan….smashes it out of the park! Thank you so very much.
Thanks for the feedback Lindy, so glad you liked it!!
This is a really great recipe! Definitely a keeper. Thank you. I had to substitute guajillo chilies for ancho chilies, but it tasted amazing.
Thanks for the question. I mention in the beginning of my post that I saw a photo of something similar in a magazine called Donna Hay. So that’s where the idea started– and I really liked the idea of cooking it in one pan, and the flavorful marinade seeping into the potatoes. No not traditional….:)
Just wanted to say I make this all the time now but instead of a whole chicken I just use skinless chicken breast for an easy weeknight meal, its delicious. Thanks for the recipe!!
Great, thanks for letting us know!
Hi! I was lucky enough to find Piri Piri Chilies and I was wondering how many one would use since they seem smaller than the pictures I’ve seen of Ancho chilies. I look forward to trying this out soon <3
They are in a glass jar with brine.
That’s great! Are they dried or fresh? I would start with 5 if dried.
Photos show skin side down first. It’s best to start with skin side down first, then flip, so skin has time to crisp up at the end.
Thanks Lisa!
I think it would be a good marinade for skinless chicken, keeping it moist and flavorful… give it a try and let us know!
I just made this and it was fabulous. I had difficulty finding the right chilis (because I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to run around looking) so I bought the unmarked dried chilis that my grocery store had and it turned out really well. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Wow – this is amazing – thanks for sharing it – I am definitely going to give it a go the next time I roast a chicken which will probably be Sunday!! Can’t wait!!
Hi Sylvia,
Instead of using a whole chicken, can I substitute it with chicken thighs or drumsticks? If so, would the cook time still be the same? Also, my family doesn’t like cilantro. What herb can I use to replace the cilantro?
Thanks.
Thighs and legs are great (skin in, bone in). Either leave sauce off completely, serve on the side or sub fresh basil, parsley or mint.
Thank you Sylvia. This is an amazing recipe. I plan to make it again this weekend for guests.
Question. What do you think brining the chicken in a salt water prior would do? I am concerned that it might it make it too salty? Have you ever done this with this particular recipe?
I really like brining chicken when I have the time, but have not brined it for this recipe- my guess is it would be great!
I made this over the weekend, and while the flavor was good, the skin remained rubbery and the marinade never changed color – especially after slathering it on toward the end of the cook time. Once the chicken rested and I cut into it, the skin slid off and all we had was mildly flavored meat. I am wondering if starting out at a higher temperature to crisp/brown the skin, then lowering the temperature to cook the chicken would result in the beautiful skin shown in the recipe. Does anyone have any advice or thoughts?
Hummmm…that is perplexing. Sorry about that. All I can think of is …not all ovens cook the same. I have a gas oven, and always preheat it for a good 30 minutes. Perhaps you could try what you suggested, or if you have a broil option….crisping it up at the end with your broiler, so you have a little more control. I will adjust the recipe…thanks for the feedback.
I made this last night, I used Guajalliaro chiles because they are not spicy and had them at home. And I did not have to deal with a surgery on the chicken since I had only chicken thighs 🙂 It was delicious. I tend to just put potatoes and chicken together to bake with minimal herbs but this was worth to spend the time. Thank you!
This was fantastic! Thank you!
thanks! Glad you liked!
This was fantastic!
muy bueno , bonitas fotos
This looks soooooo good. Gonna try it with some wings next week.
This WILL be on my table tomorrow night. Stunning photos and mouth watering recipe. Just found your site through food gawker and will be a follower. =)
Awesome Lisa…please let us know how it turned out!
Hello.
I’m portuguese and I love you talk about us 😉
Great recipe
Kiss
CláudiaV
Thanks for your feedback…I appreciate it! Dried ancho chilies are fairly common and readily available at most super markets. As for lemon juice compared to sherry vinegar -I think they would work interchangeably here, and I agree, lemon is probably more authentic. But the Sherry vinegar seemed to punch it up even more, and I preferred the flavor overall…but it’s not imperative. 🙂
I’m roasting a simple salt/pepper/garlic chicken right now, and it’s nowhere near as pretty as this one! I’m definitely going to have to try this out. love the liberal use of chiles.
Stunning photos! The chicken looks amazing, and I just love a one dish recipe! I’m positive my family would love this. Thank you for sharing!
Gorgeous! I make something so similar to this, except using lemon and thyme instead of sherry vinegar and coriander. Probably not very authentic, I know. Either way, this looks delicious and beautifully photographed.