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
Love this recipe. Used the marinade on turkey as well came out beautiful.
Oh interesting! Fun idea!
looking to do the same
fabulous flavours! love this!
Wonderful, good to hear!
recipe was excellence and nice tasty and flavour.
Thanks so much!
Absolutely delicious.
thanks so much Kim!
16-06-2022: I made it tonight and it was delicious!! Will surely make it again!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks so much Irene! Really appreciate this!
Another excellent recipe! The piri piri chicken and potatoes were excellent, easy and tasty sauces, too! And I love that the times you list for prep and cooking are accurate and that most of the ingredients are already in the fridge or pantry or are readily available at just about any grocery. My dinners for the nights that I would “cook” before I found your website: take-out, go out or cereal. Now, I’ve cooked for us four times in a week (all using your recipes, too)! And my husband (who works 60+ hours/week and is typically in charge of dinner because I disliked cooking so much) is thrilled! Thank you, Sylvia, your recipes make cooking fun again!
Awwww- so happy you both are enjoying the recipes Heidi!
LOVE this! The sauce alone make you do a Pavlovian drool but then when it all comes together … chicken fatty potatoes, spicy crispy chicken, it’s bomb diggity!
I am in camp eat the chicken skin for sure!
Haha! Same here Abbie. 😉 thanks so much!
Hi Sylvia,
Trying this tomorrow 🥰 I’ve just prepped the marinade and the cilantro sauce but both have ended up being quite watery – can you recommend what I should do to sort this out? Thanks 🙂
Hi Florence. 😉 The cilantro sauce should thicken in the fridge. But the marinade should not be watery? Do you mean oily?
Thanks Sylvia. The cilantro sauce thickened and so did the marinade. I think maybe I just blended them each a bit too much 🙂 Loved this recipe and so did everyone else. I will definitely be making it again.
Sylvia, what salad recipes or green sides of yours would you suggest as good flavor complements to this dish? Also…I have one eater who doesn’t eat white potatoes and I thought I’d do a section of sweet potato slices under the chicken. Thoughts?
Sweet potatoes sound good! Cut them slightly thicker. You could do wilted greens or just a simple green salad?
Thanks for the quick response, wilted greens it is! I love how I never need to “try out” your recipes before I serve them for the first time…. Company coming for dinner? Find a new Sylvia recipe and go for it–guaranteed hits, every time.
Awesome Nikki! thanks!
I didnt have whole ancho chili’s available…but 1 whole chili converts to 1 heaping Tbls if ancho powder. Recipe called for two chilis..so I used 2 heaping tbls of powder. Worked great! If paste dry, can add a little oil, but didn’t have a need to..great recipe and SO delicious!! THANK YOU!
Ok, awesome Katherine- good to know!
Can i also marinate over night with skin on ?
Yes, absolutely!
It isn’t really healthier to avoid skin and bones. Skin = collagen which people pay to buy in supplement form.
Hi Sam- I guess It depends on which “camp” you are in. If going for lower fat, perhaps yes healthier without skin- but some folks are on Keto ( high fat) so to them, skin is healthier. “Healthy” is relative to our beliefs. Make the best decision for you. 😉
Excellent recipe! I will try to make it in a cast iron dish next time.
Perfect Alizah!
Have you ever smoked the chicken using this recipe?
I’m wanting to try but not sure about adding more marinade to it while it’s on the smoker
I’m planning to marinade overnight
Also the cilantro sauce should that be made prior to eating or can I make before hand as well overnight
You can make the cilantro sauce a day ahead, not a problem. Haven’t tried smoking this one…so not sure how it would be with the marinade. I guess you could smoke it first, then add marinade and finish it in the oven??
This dish is delicious! Thank you for sharing!!
Thanks Danielle- so glad you like this!
Can’t wait to try! I think I’ll grill it however. Have you ever tried grilling as opposed to baking it?
No but it sounds tasty Jason!
My daughter doesn’t like anything that is even remotely hot (spicy). Would really love to try this recipe but worried about using chillies. Can you recommend anything in place of the chillies to ensure there is no heat at all?
Oh Shoot. This may not be the recipe for her then, because the recipe really is all about the chilies.
Darn! Ok, thank you!
I rarely ever comment on recipes (yet I use ones on the internet all the time) and THIS is absolutely MIND BLOWING. It’s straight forward, easy, and totally juicy and delicious. My fiance and I struggle with finding new recipes that we love, or new takes on easy meals. This has really changed our roast chicken game!! I didn’t end up spatchcocking the chicken (just roasted whole for 1 1/2 hrs for a 5lb chicken), but it still turned out perfectly. Additionally, I was really worried about how the potatoes would turn out. I’ve tried potatoes like this in the past and they always end up hard and lacking flavor. But not these potatoes- they were soft, with a crunchy exterior (I did cut them thicker than suggested because I knew the chicken would be in longer since I did not spatchcock it), and bursting with flavor! The flavor of the chicken was so good that it could easily stand on its own, but the sauce throws it over the edge. I honestly would spend $40 for a thigh of this chicken at a restaurant- it’s that good. Braaaavooo!!!
Haha! Awesome, I’m so happy you liked this!
This was amazing! Full disclosure: I found this recipe because I bought a bottle of Nando’s Garlic Peri Peri sauce and wasn’t sure what to do with it, so I used that instead of making my own. The potatoes were incredible and the roast chicken was the juiciest I’ve ever made. It was a 3-4 pounder and altogether took about an hour, doing a temp check every 15 min. Thanks so much for this recipe!
A friend just shared this recipe with me, I can’t wait to try it. But, where did you get that beautiful pan?
From a vintage store!
It is gorgeous! I cannot seem to find whole dried ancho chili. Could I sub dried ancho powder with some liquid to make a paste?
That should work. Just start with adding the powder, then maybe just add a little more olive oil if it seem dry.
Hi all,
I don’t have any ancho chili peppers at home. Can someone please recommend a substitute (in powder, ie chili or cayenne) and measurements.
Thank you
Hi Arkadiusz! Totally guessing here, but perhaps try 3 tablespoons chili powder along with the smoked paprika. If the paste seems really “loose”, add a bit more? If the paste seem to dry and thick, loosen with a bit more oil.
Excellent,i substituted Chili garlic sauce instead of the dry chillies.
Southern Africa not South Africa specific.
It is part of many of the Southern African countries. The African birds eye chilli is the chill that was used. Portuguese settlers made the sauce. Peri-peri is a Swahilli word for Pepper-pepper.
This is my 3rd time following your recipe to cook Piri Piri chicken. Always comes perfect. 3rd time because friends demanding more to prepare. Your instructions are very easy to follow and I love your tips particularly about potatoes. My wife loved the potatoes more than the chicken. This is one of my favorite chicken dishes. Thanks a lot for sharing.
thanks so much!
Great!
Have made this a few times now…..always comes out amazing!
Just wondering if it would be more flavoursome if I were to marinate the chicken and leave it in the fridge for a couple of hours.
I bet it would- even overnight.