This classic Portuguese Piri Piri Chicken calls for spatchcocked chicken to be slathered in a tasty pepper sauce while the heat of the grill works its magic. With just the right amount of heat, this smoky-charred, juicy and succulent chicken dish, makes a fantastic weeknight dinner. Be sure to read through the recipe notes for extra tips.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the Piri Piri Sauce
2long red chilis or fresno chilis, coarsely chopped, stem discarded
3-5Thai red chilis*coarsely chopped, stem discarded
6garlic cloveschopped
1tablespoonPaprika**
1lemon, juiced
1teaspoonkosher Salt
1teaspoonfreshly cracked black Pepper
1/4cupolive Oil
For the Chicken
13-4 lb whole Chickenspatchcocked***
3teaspoonskosher salt
2teaspoonsfreshly cracked black pepper
1tablespoonextra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Preheat a grill to medium-high.
Make the piri piri sauce: Place all the sauce ingredients in a small chopper, process until almost smooth. If too thick, add a little more oil or a splash of water. Set aside.
Prepare the chicken: Place the spatchcoked chicken on a baking sheet, ceramic dish, or metal tray. Pat dry with paper towels then rub the chicken all over with olive oil and season with 3 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons freshly cracked pepper.
Grill the chicken: Place the chicken skin side up on grill. Cover barbeque, grill for 20-25 minutes basting every 5-10 minutes with piri piri sauce. Flip the chicken to grill the skin side for 10-15 minutes more, basting once or twice more. *Note, if the grill seems too hot for the skin side, shut the burner off that is directly under the chicken.
To serve: Let chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Notes
*Adjust heat levels: 3 Thai peppers does not make the chicken very spicy. For a spicier sauce, use at least 5. For a very mild sauce, remove the seeds from the chilis.TIP: Wear gloves when handling hot chilis. It is just not fun to have burning finger tips. Wear gloves. **Reduce the amount to 1 teaspoon if using smoked paprika. *** When grilling a whole chicken it should always (always) be spatchcocked - this speeds up the cooking process, crisps up the skin evenly, and the sauce will cover more of it, spicing up every bite. You can ask your butcher to do it for you but it is super easy to do yourself if you don't have access to a butcher. Here is a quick video that shows you how. I like to take it a step further and cut the chicken in half which makes it a lot easier to handle, especially on the grill. Alternatively, you can use chicken legs or thighs.