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With just 10 minutes of prep and a few simple ingredients, you can make the best peri peri chicken from scratch! My easy Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken recipe uses homemade peri peri sauce for a flavorful dinner that’s better than Nando’s.
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Better than Nando’s
My family loves Nando’s chicken, but you can’t find it anywhere where I live in Florida. I’ve always wanted to recreate it at home, and let me tell you – this is it! My homemade Peri Peri chicken recipe is a crave-worthy dinner everyone in my family is obsessed with, including myself.
The secret is in my homemade Peri Peri Sauce. Trust me – try this and you’ll want to make my Portuguese chicken again and again.
FAQs
Peri Peri Chicken is chicken you marinate in Piri Piri sauce and then either roast or grill to cook. I roast mine, though peri peri chicken recipes are also delicious cooking on a grill!
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. Piri Piri, meaning “pepper pepper”, comes from the pepper used in the sauce, the African bird’s eye chili.
You don’t have to have the African bird’s eye chili on hand to make this recipe, though – you can use other hot peppers in its place!
Peri peri sauce can be used as a finishing sauce, marinade, or a sauce for vegetables and even as a dip. It’s delicious!
Peri Peri Sauce
The secret to the best Piri Piri chicken is the Peri Peri sauce. To make your own Portuguese chicken with peri peri sauce, you will need my homemade piri piri sauce recipe.
Follow my recipe for Peri Peri Sauce! Peri Peri sauce is easy to make, spicy, and delicious. We guarantee you’ll love this recipe even more if you make the Peri Peri sauce from scratch.
But, during a busy weeknight when you’re in a pinch, you can also use Nando’s peri peri sauce or your favorite hot sauce. I promise this will work too, and you’ll have a delicious chicken dinner your family will love!
Grilling Instructions
- Lightly oil the grates and set your grill to medium heat.
- Grill the chicken for about 35 to 40 minutes, turning every 5 minutes to keep it from burning, until cooked through to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tip: Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature. The safe temperature for chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Side Dishes for Portuguese Chicken
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!
Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- 5-ingredient Chicken Stir Fry
- Easy Lemon Butter Chicken Recipe
- One Pot Chicken Orzo Pasta
- Sticky Harissa Chicken
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This Portuguese chicken recipe with Peri Peri sauce will be a hit with your family and friends! Let me know how much you like it in the comments below and with a rating. I love to hear from you!
📋 Recipe
Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Large roasting pan
Ingredients
- 4 pound 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 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.
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
Photos by Marie Roffey.
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!