Portugeuse Style Peri Peri Chicken – everyone loves this crispy roasted chicken, the flavor is amazing! The green chili dressing is also great to make with rotisserie chicken! The chicken marinates in a garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil! Green chilis, cilantro leaves, olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise and sour cream make up the addictive dip!
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Peri Peri Chicken or Piri Piri Chicken
Have you had Piri Piri Chicken? Piri Piri is actually a pepper, an African Bird’s Eye Chili. The dish has roots in both Africa and Portugal. The Portuguese settles brought with them a pepper that was called piri piri in Swahili. You will find this called Peri Peri Chicken or Piri Piri Chicken.
Piri Piri Chicken gets it’s flavor from the traditional marinade which contains garlic, red wine vinegar, lemon juice and of course the chili peppers. Some add other ingredients, like ginger or bay leaves.
Whatever you call it, it’s delicious!
Spatchcocking a Chicken
When I found this recipe in an old Donna Hay magazine, the first thing I noticed was that it called for spatchcocking a chicken. Spatchcocking a chicken is my favorite way to roast or grill chicken, it is also called butterflying a chicken. You cut out the backbone, turn the chicken over and pressing on the breastbone to flatten it. This allows the chicken to cook more evenly and quicker.
If you run skewers through the chicken, like I’ve shown, it makes it very easy to turn the chicken or to remove it from the pan.
Piri Piri Chicken
This Piri Piri chicken gets so much flavor from the marinade, which is a combination of garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and smoky paprika. You don’t even have to let the chicken sit in the marinade! You just rub it on and then as the chicken bakes, you brush on more. As you can see in the photos, you definitely want to line your sheet pan with foil or parchment paper.
Along with the chicken I roasted some potatoes and Brussels sprouts for any easy meal! A roasted cauliflower salad or a kale salad would have also gone lovely with this.
Green Chili Dressing
The next best part of this recipe is the Green Chili Dressing! I love dipping roasted chicken in a dressing and this was one of the best! This recipe goes together prettily easily and the flavors are outstanding! I make this to serve with a store bought rotisserie chicken, everyone loves it!
Piri Piri Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken butterflied or spatchcocked
Piri Piri Marinade
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- salt and fresh ground black pepper
Green Chili Dip
- 2 long green chilis roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425.
- Place the marinade ingredients in a small food processor and process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade and rub the chicken with the remaining marinade.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil. Place the chicken skin side down. Thread 2 metal skewers horizontally through the chicken.
- Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
- Turn the chicken skin side up and roast for 20 more minutes, brushing with the reserved marinade every 10 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the green chili dip. Place the green chilis, cilantro, oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper in a small food processor and process until smooth.
- Add the mayonnaise and sour cream and process until it is just combined. Serve the chicken with the dip.
Nutrition
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Update Notes: This was originally published in 2013 and has been updated for 2018.
Erica Acevedo says
December 16, 2018 at 10:07 amThis looks like a fantastic weeknight dinner! I’ve never spatchcocked a chicken, but you’ve definitely inspired me! Especially with that Piri Piri flavor – yum!!!
Pam Greer says
December 16, 2018 at 1:09 pmOnce you’ve spatchcocked and see how evenly the chicken cooks, you’ll love it!
Sylvie says
December 15, 2018 at 6:25 pmYou cant beat a nice roasted chicken for a Sunday lunch! Especially with lemons and garlic – sounds super delicious!
Pam Greer says
December 15, 2018 at 6:52 pmThe perfect Sunday lunch!
Lauren @ A Nerd Cooks says
December 15, 2018 at 5:02 pmThis chicken looks fab! It has such a great color on it. I’ve always wanted to try spatchcocking, too, but have been a little intimidated.
Pam Greer says
December 15, 2018 at 6:53 pmIt’s not hard at all.
Ilona says
December 15, 2018 at 4:39 pmI never tried piri piri chicken but it must taste amazing!
Pam Greer says
December 15, 2018 at 6:53 pmIt really is so good!
Emily says
December 15, 2018 at 4:38 pmI never knew that piri piri chicken was named after a pepper. Thanks for the history of the dish. It looks amazing.
Pam Greer says
December 15, 2018 at 6:53 pmI didn’t know that either until I looked it up!
Andrea Metlika says
December 15, 2018 at 4:24 pmThe flavors in the marinade sound great and the green chili dip sounds like a perfect accompaniment.
Pam Greer says
December 15, 2018 at 6:53 pmThe dip really is amazing!
Couscous & Consciousness says
January 11, 2014 at 12:45 amI was already fantasising about that chicken in that marinade … seriously I would just about eat show leather if it was marinaded in smoky paprika amongst other things … and then to find about that dressing!! I want this now!
Kim says
January 6, 2014 at 8:31 amOk, that chicken look fabulous! I’m thinking I must make it very soon.
P.S. I love that cute little baking sheet. You’ve inspired a trip to Home Goods.
Deb in Hawaii says
January 4, 2014 at 5:26 amThat is some gorgeous color on that chicken. The whole dinner looks fabulous–I would be tempted to dunk everything into the green chilli dressing. Yum! 😉
grace says
January 2, 2014 at 9:57 pmthe last spatchcocking of 2013. chokes me up a little. 🙂
Zosia says
January 2, 2014 at 1:56 pmYour roast chicken looks perfect and the marinade and dipping sauce sound delicious!
kitchen flavours says
January 2, 2014 at 5:14 amWhat a great idea with the skewers! That is one delicious looking chicken! Perfect for a New Year dinner!
Happy New Year!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
January 1, 2014 at 6:02 pmAnother great Donna Hay recipe. And thanks for reminding me that I have a packet of Peri Peri seasoning in the pantry.
Lynda Bergman Decorative Artisan says
December 31, 2013 at 7:54 pmLooks delicious! Can you tell us how you roast your brussell sprouts/your recipe? Happy New Year! Lynda
Bonnie says
December 30, 2013 at 11:26 pmThis looks a lot like the Nando’s chicken. Love it. Thanks for sharing.
a good yarn says
December 30, 2013 at 9:51 pmYou simply can’t beat a good roast chicken. I bet this was incredibly tasty. No bacon with the brussell sprouts?
Wearinbeads says
December 30, 2013 at 7:29 pmI have an actual bottle labeled Peri Peri Sauce in my fridge. A drop into a bloody mary with Mr. T’s Blood Mary mix is spectacular! Happy New Year.
Kevin Lynch says
December 30, 2013 at 12:17 pmWhat a tasty meal! I have been wanting to try peri peri for a while now!
Joanne says
December 30, 2013 at 11:53 amI love how everything goes into the oven for this meal. No dirtying of pans!