Baked Piri Piri Chicken Thighs Recipes

PERI PERI CHICKEN THIGHS RECIPE (OVEN BAKED)

Steps:

• Prepare your chili, discard stems and roughly chop them.
• Place all the ingredients from Peri Peri sauce list in a food processor fitted with a metal blade/ blender and blend until smooth. Check if you are ok with the texture of the sauce (I like mine a bit coarse, not very smooth. If you prefer it smoother blend the mixture some more). Pour the mixture into a small glass jar and place it in the fridge.*
• Place chicken thighs (or whole chicken/ butterflied chicken, chicken legs) in a bowl or Ziploc bag, add generous amount of Peri Peri sauce, cover or seal the bag and place it in the fridge for at least 2 hours (overnight would be ideal).
• Preheat your oven at 400F/ 200C. Spray some olive oil on a skillet/ baking pan, add marinated chicken and bake it for 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked, basting with some more sauce after 20 minutes in the oven.
• Serve with extra Peri Peri sauce next to rice or baked potatoes. Add some coleslaw too.

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.

MARINATED PERI PERI CHICKEN THIGHS AND DRUMSTICKS

Steps:

• Prepare the marinade by mixing minced garlic, lemon juice, orange juice and olive oil together with a whisk. Add lemon zest, sea salt, sweet paprika, black pepper, red pepper flakes and dry oregano (or use Italian Seasoning instead). Whisk everything together.
• Pour the marinade into a plastic bowl or large ziplock bag. Add chicken thighs and drumsticks to the bag with marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or preferable overnight.
• Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF. Sprinkle paprika on top of the chicken skin (this will create a nice color on the skin).
• Preheat an oven proof skillet, such as cast iron and add olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and the skillet is hot, add chicken skin side down and cook undisturbed on medium high heat for 4 minutes or until chicken is nicely browned.
• Flip chicken over (skin side up) and move the skillet to the oven. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 400 F. Remove from the oven, ensure that the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with parsley.

ONE-PAN PIRI PIRI CHICKEN DINNER

Steps:

• Pound all the marinade ingredients together with 1 tsp salt using a large pestle and mortar, or blitz in a mini chopper to create a loose paste. Slash each chicken piece a few times, then tip into a bowl and coat in the marinade. Cover and chill for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs.
• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Tip the chicken along with the marinade and potatoes into a roasting tin. Toss together, then arrange the chicken on top of the potatoes, thighs skin-side up. Roast for 35-40 mins until the chicken has browned.
• Remove the tin from the oven and mix the peppers in with the potatoes, baste the chicken in some of the juices in the tin and turn the drumsticks. Nestle the cherry tomatoes in among the chicken and roast for another 20-25 mins until the chicken is cooked through, the skin is crisp and the vegetables are nicely roasted. Scatter with the coriander and some flaky sea salt, if you like, and serve straight from the tin with the buttered corn on the side.