Name: Mozambican Piri Piri Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: African
Ingredients: 600 g Chicken Thigh, bone-in pieces preferred; 3 Bird's Eye Chiles, adjust to heat preference; 4 clove Garlic, roughly chopped; 3 tbsp Lemon Juice, fresh; 3 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 tsp Paprika; ½ tsp Dried Oregano; 1 tbsp Vinegar; 1 tsp Salt, adjust to taste; ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper

55 mintotal

35 min hands-on20 min hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 15 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

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Method

Blend bird's eye chiles, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika, oregano, vinegar, salt, and black pepper into a rough marinade.
Coat the chicken well with the marinade, pushing some into the cuts near the bone.
Heat a grill to medium heat and place the chicken skin-side or smooth-side down first.
Grill slowly, turning and brushing with leftover marinade only during the early cooking stage.
Continue grilling until the chicken is charred in spots and fully cooked through.
Rest for 5 minutes before serving so the juices settle.
5 min

How to tell it's done

The chicken should be juicy inside, lightly charred outside, and coated with a bright chili-garlic glaze.

Getting it right

Tip

Grill over moderate heat; very high heat burns the chili-garlic marinade before the chicken cooks through.

What to serve it with

Serve with fries, rice, grilled corn, cucumber salad, or extra lemon wedges.

Common mistakes

The outside is black and the inside is raw.: Grill over moderate heat and give it time. The marinade is full of oil and paprika, both of which colour fast; a fierce fire chars the surface long before thigh meat is cooked through.
The heat is flat rather than bright.: Keep some marinade back and brush it on early, then stop well before the end — raw marinade brushed on at the finish is unsafe, and cooked too long the chilli turns dull. A fresh squeeze of lemon at the table restores the lift.

Substitutions

Use fewer bird's eye chiles for a milder version, or replace some with a milder red chili.
Chicken drumsticks can replace thighs with similar grilling time.
A grill pan can be used, but the smoky char will be lighter than an outdoor grill.

Storing and reheating

Marinated raw chicken keeps a day in the fridge and freezes for two months. Grilled chicken keeps three days and is good cold. The piri piri marinade itself keeps two weeks refrigerated and improves as it sits.

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