Piri Piri Chicken

This was meant to be a one-off recipe...some friends (thank you again, Jason and Michelle) had gifted us some homemade piri piri (a lightly spicy pepper and oil condiment) that I needed to use up.  I marinated 2 spatchcocked whole chickens in it, grilled one, roasted another, and thought I was done with that.  Well, it turned out to be the best chicken we had ever had, so I was obligated to get the piri piri recipe from our friends and make more. 

I can't vouch for freezer-stability of this recipe for more than 2 weeks...there's a pretty high concentration of acid in the piri piri marinade which could begin to have a negative effective on meat quality after some point (how long? I dunno), but I can attest to 2 weeks' worth of frozen marination resulting in uber-tasty results.


Grilled Chicken with Piri Piri Sauce
Makes 4-6 servings

The picture really doesn't do the flavor justice

1 3 lb. whole chicken, spatchcocked
1/2 cup Piri Piri Sauce

Marinate the chicken at least overnight in Piri Piri sauce.  To cook, grill directly over medium heat about 20 minutes per side.  Alternatively, roast the chicken about 45 minutes at 350F, until cooked thoroughly.

Jason and Michelle's Piri Piri Sauce
Makes 4 cups

2 red bell peppers, roughly chopped
3 lemons, zested and juiced
5 serranos, seeded
6-8 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh parsley or mint
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

In a food processor, combine red peppers, lemon zest, lemon juice, serranos, garlic and herbs.  Process until thoroughly pureed.  If your food processor is big enough to handle it, add about 1/2 cup olive oil and process a few more seconds.  If your food processor will be overwhelmed by further additions, transfer the puree to a bowl and stir in oil, vinegar, and spices.  Store in lidded glass jars in the fridge. Pin It