Piri-Piri Chicken

Piri-Piri Chicken

Poultry
Main Dish

Serves 4

Spicy, flavorful and delicious — this puts plain barbecue chicken to shame.

This is also a killer recipe for grilled chicken wings. Instead of rubbing the spice mixture under the skin, you’ll just combine the wings with the dry spices and let them marinate for a couple of hours.

Ingredients #

  • 3 tbsp chili powder (New Mexico chili powder if you can find it)
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp ground Aleppo pepper (worth seeking out!) or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp piri-piri spice mix (optional)
  • 1 (4ish lbs) whole chicken, spatchcocked or split
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 8 medium Fresno chilies, stemmed and quartered
  • 3 medium cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

Instructions #

In a medium bowl, mix the chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika and salt. Transfer 2 tbsp of the mixture to a small bowl (this is for rubbing under the skin of the chicken), and put the rest in the bowl of your food processor.

Loosen the skin over the chicken’s breast and thighs, and even distribute the 2 tbsp of spice mixture under the skin, rubbing it into the flesh. Set the chicken on a baking sheet.

In a food processor, combine the remaining spice mixture, sugar, chilies and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the machine running, add the lemon juice and vinegar; process until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.

Measure out 1/4 cup of the sauce to brush on the chicken, reserving the rest for later. Brush the ¼ cup evenly over the chicken on both sides. Let the chicken stand at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the grill for indirect high-heat cooking. You want a big bank of coals, as this will need to stay hot for about an hour. Heat the grill, covered, for 5-10 minutes, then clean and oil the grate.

Set the chicken skin-side-up on the cooler side of the grill. Cover and cook for 25 minutes. Using tongs, rotate the chicken 180 degrees to bring the far side closest to the heat. Cover and continue cooking until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160F and the thighs reach 175 F, another 25-30 minutes.

Brush the chicken with 2 tbsp of the reserved sauce, then use tongs to flip it skin-side-down onto the hot side of the grill. Cook until the skin is lightly charred, 1-2 minutes. Transfer chicken skin-side-up to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 minutes. Stir the cilantro into the remaining sauce, then baste the chicken once more. Serve with the sauce on the side.

This is definitely hot! Some sort of bread and a cooling vegetable dish are welcome here. We like naan and Persian salad Shirazi to round out this intensely flavorful meal.