GloooRecipes

Peri Peri Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken + Brine

  • whole chicken, butterflied
  • 1 litre water
  • 50ml cider vinegar
  • 55g brown sugar
  • 1 whole garlic head, halved
  • 1 lemon, thickly sliced
  • 1 tbsp thyme (or 8 fresh sprigs)
  • 10 bay leaves
  • 80g table salt

Peri Sauce

  • 15 birds eye chillies
  • 120ml olive oil
  • 120ml red wine vinegar
  • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 2-3 coarsely chopped bay leaves
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt

Serve

  • Lemon slices or cheeks
  • Bread
  • Green salad

Method

Warning: This is a multi-day recipe. Prepare your chicken and peri sauce the day before.

Overview

  • Day before: Brine chicken, make peri sauce
  • Morning of: Transfer chicken into the peri sauce
  • Evening: Cook + eat!


To butterfly a chicken

  1. Find the spine, remove it (kitchen scissors is easiest)
  2. Flip over and make a small cut on the breast cartilage
  3. Bend until the breast bone pops out


Brine

  1. Bring ingredients to the boil (except chicken + lemon)
  2. Set aside to cool (fridge it, 30-60 minutes)
  3. Place chicken on a bed of lemon slices in large bowl
  4. Pour over the chicken and cover with cling wrap
  5. Keep in the fridge for 12-24 hours


Peri Sauce

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c
  2. Place chillies in whole for 10 minutes until softened - you want them semi-dried and still juicy
  3. Pull off the stalks, roughly chop
  4. Add all ingredients to a saucepan
  5. Simmer for 3 minutes to infuse
  6. Cool in the fridge (15 minutes)
  7. Blend it altogether
  8. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days

Chicken

  1. Remove chicken from the brine + wash with cold water
  2. Pat dry and place in a large freezer bag
  3. Pour HALF of the peri sauce over the chicken
  4. Refrigerate for 6-24 hours

Cook

Prefer a charcoal fire, or if you're a heathen (like us) use a gas grill. Soften the blow by using a smoking box + applewood chips (we don't do that either).

  1. Place chicken on hot, oiled grill
  2. Cover with a lid or upturned metal bowl
  3. Lower the temperature to medium (if on a gas grill)
  4. Cook for 15-20 minutes on each side
  5. Use the peri sauce from the bag to base the chicken between turns
  6. Serve with crusty bread, lemon slides + the other half of peri sauce!

Notes

  • Always use a thermometer on the thighs, they should be at least 65c.
  • In the last 10 minutes of cooking, you can cut and remove the thighs from the main body to help it cook through.
  • Crispy/black/burnt skin legit tastes good, don't worry about it.

Total prep time ~1 hour

Total cook time: ~1 hour

Recipe adapted from Duncan/Africola.