Best Pili Pili Chicken Recipes

BAKED PIRI PIRI CHICKEN THIGHS

Steps:

• Position racks in middle and upper thirds of oven. Preheat broiler to high. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Place bell peppers, onion and garlic on the prepared pan. Broil on the top rack, turning often, until charred on all sides, about 8 minutes. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and chiles in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chiles start to darken in color, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
• Coarsely chop the bell peppers and onion and peel the garlic; transfer to a blender. Add the chiles and oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, oregano, paprika and ground pepper; puree until smooth.
• Return the sauce to the pan and add bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place on the baking sheet, skin-side up; sprinkle both sides with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and generously brush with 1/2 cup of the sauce.
• Bake on the upper rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees F, about 30 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and continue cooking until starting to brown, about 2 minutes.
• Brush each thigh with another 1 tablespoon of the sauce. Serve with additional sauce and charred lemons, if desired.

PERI PERI CHICKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Pat the chicken legs dry and rub them down with the paprika, garlic, and salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
• Heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the peri peri sauce, add the peppers, garlic, paprika, cilantro and basil to a food processor. Process until well mixed.
• Drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to process until the mixture thickens up.
• Stir in the lemon juice and adjust for salt.
• Use half of the peri peri sauce to cover the chicken. Toss them together to get the chicken legs nicely coated. You can cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour at this point if you'd like more developed flavor.
• FOR BAKING: Bake the chicken for 35-40 minutes, or until they are nicely cooked through. They should measure 165 degrees F internally.
• FOR GRILLING: Fire up the grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grates. Grill the chicken legs for about 35-40 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes to keep from burning, until they are cooked through. They should measure 165 degrees F internally.
• Remove from the oven and toss in the remaining peri peri sauce.
• Sprinkle with fresh herbs and spicy chili flakes. Serve!

PILI PILI (SPICY HERB OIL)

Steps:

• Place the herbs, chiles and oil in a medium saucepan and heat slowly over low heat until they begin to sizzle. If you insert a thermometer, the temperature should not go above 220ºF. Turn off the heat and wait for the oil to stop sizzling, then cover and allow to cool.
• Transfer the herbs and chiles to a clean, sterilized bottle (you may need to use a funnel to do this neatly). Pour on the olive oil. Close tightly and allow to stand in a dark, cool place for a week to mature.

PILI PILI SAUCE

Steps:

• Pulse chiles, onion, and garlic in a food processor until chopped. Add oil, lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; puree. Season with salt.

PILIPILI OIL

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and heat over low, stirring occasionally, until the oil starts to sizzle and the paprika has darkened. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Transfer the mixture to a small jar or bottle, seal, and refrigerate for a few days before using. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

PERI PERI MARINADE (PILI PILI)

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a blender and process to a smooth paste. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow flavours to develop.
• Prior to cooking, I recommend seasoning lightly with additional kosher salt.
• Suggested cooking method: Coat chicken pieces in the marinade until they are completely coated. Cover and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• For oven cooking, it's important that the chicken pieces be arranged with no space between them. Using a dish that is too large will cause the sauce to burn off when cooking.
• Another authentic cooking method is to "butterfly" a whole chicken, which is to split a cleaned whole chicken down the center enough to allow it to lie flat, but without cutting it into two pieces. Then flatten it by hitting it with a mallet or sturdy bottle and coating the chicken with Peri Peri and marinating overnight before grilling.

PILI-PILI (PERI-PERI) MARINADE

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a blender or chopper until it's a paste. And use as marinade, keep in the refrigerator.