This Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken recipe results in the most deliciously crispy chicken, yet tender and juicy on the inside. It’s marinated in a smoky, flavorful peri peri sauce marinade and baked over sliced potatoes and served with a flavorful green sauce. Includes a Video.
 This Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken recipe features a whole chicken, marinated in a smoky, flavorful peri peri sauce marinade, and baked over sliced potatoes until perfectly crispy, tender and juicy - my favorite chicken recipe EVER!

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 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

You can butterfly (or “spatchcok”) a whole chicken for this recipe, or roast it whole, or buy pre-cut bone-in, skin-on pieces. Butterflying the chicken allows it to cook fast and evenly, and is a good technique to learn. Watch how to spatchcock a chicken here (video).  You’ll need a good pair of kitchen shears to cut the backbone out of the chicken, which I’ll show you below.
Pat the chicken dry.

peri peri chicken on a cutting board, about to get butterflied

Place the whole chicken, breast-side down on a cutting board.

cutting the backbone out of the chicken

Using sharp kitchen shears, remove the spine, cutting on each side of the spine.

Backbone of the chicken removed

Open the chicken wide and turn it over so the breast side now faces up.

press the chicken flat

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

brush the chicken with 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.

chicken, slathered with peri peri marinade on a cutting board

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 dishuse a large, rimmed, metal sheet pan for best results. This enamel pan is deceiving, it is very large ( 16×22).

brush marinade on the bottom of the pan

Layer thinly sliced potatoes, overlapping only slightly,  and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

potatoes layered over the marinade

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.)

Portuguese Chicken ( Peri Peri Chicken) ready to go into the oven

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.

 baked Portuguese Chicken ( Peri Peri Chicken)  right out of the oven
Once the Peri Peri Chicken is cooked through, let it rest for 5-10  minutes, so all the juices don’t run out of the meat too quickly.
This will ensure a juicier chicken.
Resting the Portuguese Chicken
Cut the Peri Peri chicken into pieces and serve with the Green Sauce and the crispy potatoes.
The crispy potatoes are deliciously addicting, and the chicken comes out perfectly crispy and delicious.
Cutting the Portuguese Chicken
This Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken is absolutely delicious – with the crispy bits of potatoes.  Crispy, smoky, deep and flavorful.
The potatoes are crispy and flavorful in the bottom of a pan

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. 

Finished Portuguese Chicken with Crispy skin cut up on a cutting board.

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,

Sylvia

More Chicken recipes you’ll love!

Watch how to make Peri Peri Chicken

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Portuguese Chicken ( Peri Peri Chicken)  with Crispy Potatoes...

Peri Peri Chicken Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 63 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine| Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 70 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6
  • 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

Units
  • 1 small Whole Chicken (34 lbs) or sub chicken pieces ( see notes)
  • 1 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon or reds), thinly sliced ( 1/4 inch thick)

Marinade:

Cilantro Sauce:

  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 bunch Cilantro – finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Cracked pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Rehydrate dried chilies in a small pot of simmering water on the stove for 20 minutes. Remove stem and seeds.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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
Crispy Portuguese Chicken with Potatoes...a delicious one pan meal that is full of smokey spicy flavor! | www.feastingathome.com

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Comments

  1. Hi- making this for dinner tonight have never tried it. Just made the cilantro sauce ahead of time it tastes bland on its own. Does anybody have any feedback on how it tastes with the chicken?

  2. I have always liked chicken but this recipe has me loving it! Followed exactly and it was perfect. Third time making it, won’t be the last. Thank you!






  3. Peri Peri is the type of sauce/marinade not the name of the chilli. Peri peri or piri peri is made from birds eye chillies.

    1. Hi Kevin- I think it is actaully both. 🙂 Yes the name of the sauce and an actual pepper.

  4. Go to recipe once I found it. An absolute winner and so simple. Love it! Have made if for loads of people and it always goes down a storm. Very little washing up is bonus too!






  5. Yet another delicious marinade!
    I didn’t have any ancho chilies, so I substituted one chipotle chili (canned in adobo sauce).
    Thank you!






  6. OMGoodness delicious!!! I pulled out the chicken legs to just try something “new” and I and my husband loved this! I currently have a Boston butt marinating in the peri peri sauce to grill tomorrow evening! Sooo many possibilities!!

  7. Brilliant.. I had friends over for dinner and they went nuts over the dish and demanded the recipe.. so grateful for your help,, I made it myself. Grouse,, I am in Australia.
    Regards
    Eddie

  8. I have made this recipe three times over the summer in my wood-burning outdoor oven. Ridiculously Good!!! Doing two chickens for Christmas.

  9. I just made my first chicken Piri Piri but certainly not my last. It’s fabulous. I used fresh Serrano chili because African aren’t available. Potatoes worked great; what other dish is typical? Thanks for the yogurt-cilantro sauce. We eat a LOT of both yogurt and cilantro.

    1. Thanks Jim- glad you enjoyed this! Have you tried Caldo Verde Soup? or Polvo à la Lagareiro (octopus)? Both popular there. 🙂

  10. Just fyi 🙂

    I smoke this recipe on my big green egg and has become a fave. I’ve passed this on to a lot of people and cooked over charcoal gives it an extra level of flavor.

    Thanks so much!






  11. My family has come to love “A Sylvia recipe,” and for good reason–everything I make from this blog become instant favorites. This chicken is spectacular- juicy with crispy skin and the marinade of earthy, sweet, smoky and yet bright notes had us licking fingers and even our plates. I added 2 tsps of rose petal harissa because I have a love affair for the stuff; it’s a great addition. Side note: we rarely eat the skin but we knew this would be worth it. Also, we skipped the yogurt dressing because we loved the peri peri marinade so much.






    1. Thanks, Celia, very kind, and so happy you all enjoyed this. The rose petal harissa sounds wonderful!

  12. Absolutely amazing chicken recipe, have made it several times and got nothing but compliments from my family and friends..






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