South African Peri Peri Chicken
Abuja, Nigeria · View all recipes
Overview
Peri peri chicken is marinated in a paste of chilli, lemon, olive oil, garlic and spices, then seared and finished in the oven. It is flame-grilled in its classic form, and it is one of the most exported dishes southern Africa has produced. Its origins are genuinely contested. The source is direct that it is not clear who first made it, and that the question remains hotly debated between Portuguese-Angolans and Portuguese-Mozambicans. What is not in dispute is the chilli: Portuguese settlers brought chilli peppers to Angola and Mozambique, where the small African bird's eye variety naturalised, and piri piri is the Swahili word for pepper. Peri peri is central to Mozambique's history precisely because the sauce reflects the mixing of cultures there. This version is filed as South African, which reflects where the dish is now most commercially associated rather than where it began, and that distinction is worth keeping in view. The marinade needs overnight, or at least three hours. The technique is a hard sear in an ovenproof pan followed by fifteen to twenty minutes in the oven, with the reserved marinade poured in to become the sauce.
AFN Heritage Note
Peri peri is built on the African bird's eye chilli, which naturalised in Angola and Mozambique after Portuguese traders introduced chillies. Its origin is contested between Portuguese-Angolan and Portuguese-Mozambican traditions, and piri piri is the Swahili word for pepper.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
In a large bowl, whisk together everything except the chicken.
- 2
Add the chicken and toss with tongs to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or at least three hours.
- 3
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 175°C. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until very hot.
- 4
Use tongs to transfer the chicken from the bowl into the pan, reserving the marinade.
- 5
Cook for two or three minutes per side, until nicely browned.
- 6
Pour the reserved marinade into the pan and spoon the sauce over the chicken.
- 7
Turn off the hob and transfer the pan to the preheated oven.
- 8
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the breasts, or until cooked through.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Amarachi Irobi- Marinate overnight if you can. Three hours is the minimum and the difference between the two is substantial with breast meat.
- Get the pan genuinely hot before the chicken goes in. A hard sear is what gives the colour and it cannot be recovered later.
- Pour the reserved marinade in only after the chicken has seared, and let it cook through in the oven, since it has been in contact with raw chicken.
- Chicken breast dries out easily. Fifteen minutes is often enough; check rather than waiting the full twenty.
- Thighs work better than breasts if you have the choice, staying moist through the same cooking.
- Flame-grilling is the classic method. A hot grill or barbecue in place of the oven gives the char the dish is known for.
Reviews
Be the first to rate this recipe
Cooked it? Your rating helps the next person decide whether to try it.
No reviews on this one yet. If you have cooked it, yours would be the first.
You Might Also Like
Browse all South African recipes →
Dombolo (Dumplings or Steamed Bread)
Boeber (Cape Malay Sweet Milk Drink)
