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You are in for a treat! A spicy, flavorful Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken recipe you can make simply with just a few, fresh ingredients and homemade Piri Piri sauce!
If you’ve tried Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken, you know exactly what I am talking about when I say this goes way beyond your average chicken dinner recipe. This Peri Peri chicken recipe is the best! Do I dare say, maybe even better than Nando’s? The secret is in our homemade Peri Peri Sauce!
What is Peri Peri Chicken?
Peri Peri Chicken is chicken you marinate in Piri Piri sauce and then either roast or grill to cook. We roast our Peri Peri chicken recipe to perfection, though peri peri chicken recipes are also delicious cooking on a grill over charcoal.
This Chicken Peri Peri recipe is similar to Nando’s chicken recipe, so we highly recommend it. It’s full of flavor!
Why is it called Peri Peri or Piri Piri?
Peri Peri and Piri Piri actually have the same meaning. Piri Piri is the Portuguese name, while Peri Peri, the more common name, is South African. Peri Peri sauce originally comes from South Africa and is a staple dish there today! It is more widely known as a Portuguese chicken recipe, however, due to its origins with Portuguese settlers.
Piri Piri meaning: “Peri Peri” comes from the pepper used in Piri Piri sauce: the bird’s eye chili. It literally means “pepper pepper”.
Ingredients for Portuguese Chicken with Peri Peri Sauce
The secret to the best Piri Piri chicken is the Peri Peri seasoning, which all comes from the sauce. To make your own Portuguese chicken with peri peri sauce, you will need:
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- ¾ cup peri peri sauce
- Salt and pepper
Follow our guide on How to Make Peri Peri Sauce to easily make your own Peri Peri recipe! Peri Peri sauce is easy to make, spicy, and delicious. We guarantee you’ll love this Peri Peri chicken recipe even more if you make the Peri Peri sauce from scratch!
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But during a busy weeknight, when you are in a pinch, we highly recommend using Nando’s peri peri sauce or your favorite hot sauce. We promise, this will work too and you will have a delicious chicken dinner that the family will love!
How to make Peri-Peri Chicken
Our Peri Peri Chicken recipe is incredibly easy to make and full of flavor. I roast my chicken in the oven, basting it a few times in the process. You can grill yours, but I love oven chicken recipes because they turn out so juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside!
- Preheat the oven to 410°F. Oil a large roasting pan and place the lemon wedges in the bottom.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut the backbone from the chicken, then open it. Flip it over and press down on the breast with the palm of your hand to flatten it out.
- Rub a little oil all over the chicken. Place ¾ cup of Peri Peri sauce into a small bowl, then use a basting brush to brush the chicken on both sides liberally with sauce.
- Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breast side up in the prepared roasting pan, and roast for 30 minutes. Apply the remaining sauce (from the ¾ cup) over the top. Turn the oven down to 350°F and roast for 20 minutes per pound or until the chicken reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer. Turn the tray in the oven so that it browns evenly, and baste twice more during the cooking.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces or slicing.
- Serve with rice, fries and/or slaw and some extra sauce.
Side Dishes for Chicken
Portuguese rice is always the right answer, but Peri Peri Chicken goes well with rice, Piri Piri fries, or slaw. This chicken dish is also amazing when you pair it with Crispy Baked Potato Wedges!
Those crispy baked potato wedges dipped in the piri piri sauce are a delicacy all on their own!
A simple fresh salad with a creamy dressing on the side, like this Fresh Vegetable Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing, is always a great option, too.
Fun tip: I love using the leftover chicken to make Peri Peri Chicken Pizza. It is amazing! If you love buffalo chicken pizza, you won’t even believe how amazing peri peri chicken pizza tastes!
Want more easy chicken dinner recipes? Try these out:
- 5-ingredient Chicken Stir Fry
- Easy Lemon Butter Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
- One Pot Chicken Orzo Pasta
- Sticky Harissa Chicken
- Chicken Saltimbocca Schnitzel
How about more homemade sauce recipes? Give these a try:
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Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
🥘 Ingredients
- 4 lb whole chicken
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
- ¾ cup peri peri sauce
- Salt and pepper
🔪 Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 410°F. Oil a large roasting pan and place the lemon wedges in the bottom.
- Use kitchen scissors to cut the backbone from the chicken, then open it. Flip it over and press down on the breast with the palm of your hand to flatten it out.
- Rub a little oil all over the chicken. Place ¾ cup of sauce into a small bowl, then use a basting brush to brush the chicken on both sides liberally with sauce. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breast side up in the prepared roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Apply the remaining sauce (from the ¾ cup) over the top. Turn the oven down to 350°F and roast for another 20 minutes per pound or until the chicken reaches 165°F on a meat thermometer. Turn the tray in the oven so it browns evenly, and baste twice more during the cooking.
- Remove the chicken from oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into pieces or slicing.
- Serve with rice, fries and/or slaw and some extra sauce.
Video
Notes
- Flattening out the chicken is optional but will help it to cook more evenly and more quickly.
- Use our Peri Peri Sauce recipe for great results! The link is in the ingredients list.
- In a rush? We highly recommend using Nando’s peri peri sauce or your favorite hot sauce. We promise, this will work too and you will have a delicious chicken dinner that the family will love!
- Make sure to turn the tray in the oven so that it browns evenly, and baste twice more during the cooking.
Nutrition
This post was updated on November 13, 2019.
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!