Piri-Piri Chicken
If you've got whole chicken and red chillies, you're most of the way to this Portuguese chicken: about 60 minutes of cooking across 6 steps. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and grill / broiler. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention.
What you'll need
Shopping list (2)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Spatchcock the chicken by cutting out the backbone with kitchen shears and pressing firmly on the breast to flatten it, which helps it cook evenly and quickly.
- Blitz the chillies, garlic, juice of one lemon, paprika, vinegar, oregano, the crumbled bay leaf, half the olive oil and a generous pinch of salt into a smooth piri-piri marinade.
- Rub the chicken all over and under the skin with most of the marinade, reserving some for basting, then cover and chill for at least 2 hours or ideally overnight.
- Roast in an oven preheated to 200°C for about 45 to 55 minutes, or grill over medium coals skin-side down then turning, basting with the reserved marinade, until the skin is charred and crisp.
- Check that the chicken is fully cooked, with the juices running clear and the thickest part of the thigh reaching at least 75°C on a thermometer.
- Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve with the remaining lemon cut into wedges and any roasting juices spooned over.
You'll use: Oven · Grill / broiler
Ingredient substitutions
- Lemon
- lime · 1 tbsp white wine vinegar per lemon
- Red Wine
- beef stock + 1 tsp red wine vinegar · grape juice + vinegar
What to serve with Piri-Piri Chicken
- Spring onion and prawn empanadas Seafood
- Grilled Portuguese sardines Seafood
- Portuguese prego with green piri-piri Beef
- Fish fofos Seafood
Tips & common questions
How long does Piri-Piri Chicken take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of lemon?
Try lime. See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
How should I store leftovers?
Cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container, and eat within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout.
Related recipes
Piri-Piri Chicken is an original Portuguese recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Chicken Piripiri,26 July 2015 (4).JPG by Kolforn (Kolforn) I'd appreciate if you could mail me (Kolforn@gmail.com) if you, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.