Peri Peri Chicken

Peri peri chicken baked with potatoes is juicy and has lots of flavor from the sauce. The homemade peri peri sauce is spicy, zesty, and works well as a dipping sauce or marinade.

Bone in chicken thighs marinated in home made peri peri sauce until juicy and and the skin looks brown.

Brace yourself for a fiery, spicy, flavour-packed Chicken dinner recipe. Peri peri chicken with potatoes is such a simple and easy dish to make for dinner. Chicken thighs are marinated in a fiery and zesty Peri Peri sauce and then baked. The Peri Peri sauce is made from scratch with easily available ingredients and it tastes very close to Nado’s peri peri sauce.

Its all about the sauce

Peri Peri or Piri Piri sauce is a popular condiment from South Africa. It was introduced by Portuguese settlers. This is made with African red hot chili also known as piri piri chilies, that lends distinct flavor and heat to the sauce. The sauce is spicy(really hot), tangy and zesty. The complex flavor comes from a combination of onion, garlic, herbs, red bell pepper, hot red chilies, and lemon.

You would always want to have a bottle of peri peri sauce in the refrigerator. This versatile sauce can be used as a dipping sauce, meat marinade, or as dressing. While the original version is super hot, the level of spiciness can be tweaked. The recipe I am going to share is medium hot but can be toned down further as per preference.

Ingredients

Chicken – I have used bone in skin on Chicken thighs. Chicken drumstick works well too. You can also use a full chicken.
Vegetables – Potatoes, as they soak the flavors well. Carrots and quartered Onions are a few other additions I love to make.
Peri Peri Sauce – about 1/2 cup. Recipe follows

Peri Peri Sauce Ingredients

African Bird’s eye chilies – This is a key ingredient and brings all the difference to the sauce. You can also use Thai bird’s eye chilies or any other small red hot peppers instead.
Red Bell Pepper – Bell pepper gives body to the sauce without the need to add too much red hot chillies. It also gives a sweetness to the sauce.
Red onion
Garlic
Paprika and smoked Paprika
Lemon – For tang and balancing the spice
Red wine vinegar – Gives a fruity undertone to the sauce which I love. You can substitute with more lemon juice.
Oregano, Parsley
Olive Oil
Bay leaf – Optional
Sugar – I don’t add sugar personally but you can add a teaspoon of it to balance the sour and spice.

Ingredients for Peri pari Chicken thighs

Peri peri chicken is juicy and delicious.

Steps to make

Make Peri Peri Sauce

To make peri peri sauce, add all the ingredients to a food processor and blend it until smooth. Check seasoning and add more salt if required. Few recipe calls for roasting or cooking Onion, red pepper, and garlic until slightly charred before making the sauce. I like the flavor when the ingredients are raw.

However, if you are using peri peri sauce as a dipping sauce, then cook the sauce for 10-12 minutes on medium heat, until the raw smell is no more.

Final step

Once the peri peri sauce is ready, peri peri chicken is just a 2 step process. If there is a shortage of time, you can skip the marination part. Cover chicken thighs with the sauce, place over potatoes quarters, cover, and bake. Bast with the pan juices for once or twice and

Spicy Peri peri baked chicken thighs with potatoes served in a plate.

Can I use any other cut of chicken?

Bone in chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks are best for this recipe, because of long baking hours. Chicken doesn’t dry out and takes on the flavors beautifully. Whole chicken or spatchcock chicken is also a great choice if you are making it for a crowd.