Spatchcock Piri Piri Chicken Recipes

PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Line a large, shallow roasting tin with foil. Put chicken breast-side down on a board. Use kitchen scissors to cut along each side of the backbone and discard. Turn chicken over and press down on the breast to flatten it. Rub 4tsp of the piri-piri, 1tsp of oil, and the lemon zest and juice all over the chicken. Put breast-side up in the prepared tin.
• Slice potatoes into wedges about 2cm (3/4in) thick. Scatter into a separate roasting tray. Toss through remaining piri-piri and 2tsp oil.
• Roast chicken and wedges for 30min. Remove chicken tin from the oven. Add cherry tomatoes, then drizzle with 1tsp oil and season. Return tin to the oven and roast for a further 10min until chicken is cooked and tomatoes have just burst. Remove chicken and tomatoes to a board and leave to rest for 10min. Continue cooking wedges for 10min, or until tender.
• Joint the chicken and serve with the wedges, tomatoes and a green salad, if you like.

SHEET PAN PIRI PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F convection roast (**see note).
• Season all sides of the spatchcocked chicken liberally with salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken on a heavy duty baking sheet breast side up and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil.
• Rub 1 1/2 tablespoons of the piri piri spice all over the chicken.
• Arrange the chopped sweet potatoes around the chicken on the pan.
• Place in the oven and roast for 5 minutes.
• Reduce temperature to 425°F convection and roast for 25 minutes.
• Remove from oven, add the green beans to the pan arranging around the chicken with the sweet potatoes. Drizzle the green beans and sweet potatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon of avocado oil and 1/2 tablespoon piri piri spice. Toss to combine and return to oven to roast another 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let rest for 5-10 minutes before carving the chicken and serving.

SPATCHCOCK PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• To spatchcock the chicken, flip it over so the backbone is facing you. Using a sturdy pair of kitchen scissors or poultry scissors, cut down either side of the backbone, then discard. Turn the chicken over and push down firmly on the breastbone to flatten out the bird. Make a few slashes in each leg joint. You can watch a video showing how to spatchcock a chicken in the How To Cook section of the website).
• Put the chillies and garlic in a food processor with a good pinch of salt, or use a pestle and mortar. Blend to a paste, then add the paprika, vinegar, parsley and olive oil. Mix well, then smear over the chicken. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hr or overnight if possible. Can be frozen at this stage.
• Fire up the barbecue. When the flames have died down, place the chicken on the centre of the barbecue, skin-side down, and cook for 15-20 mins until nicely charred. Flip the chicken over and continue cooking for another 5-15 mins until cooked through. Check that the juices run clear, as the heat of every barbecue will vary. To cook in the oven, heat to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 35-40 mins on a baking tray. To char the skin, grill for a further 5-10 mins. Serve with lemon wedges, and Tabasco if you like it hot.

PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• To make the marinade, tip the dried chillies and the vinegar into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave the chillies to soak until the vinegar is cold. Put the red chillies, garlic, soaked dried chillies and vinegar in a food processor and blitz. Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Blitz again to a paste and set aside.
• Sit the chicken in a shallow dish and use a small knife to score all over with cuts 1cm deep. Make sure you do the legs and the underside. Tip the marinade over the chicken and massage into the cuts. Cover and chill for at least 4 hrs, but overnight would be better.
• When you're ready to cook, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast the chicken for 1 hr, then turn the heat up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for a further 30-35 mins until a crust has formed on the outside of the chicken.
• Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins. Serve with homemade wedges or jacket potatoes, coleslaw, some buttered corn cobs and chilli & mint peas.

PIRI PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• Use rubber gloves to mince the chiles and place into a mixing bowl. Add cilantro, garlic, vegetable oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, and black pepper. Mix piri piri sauce well.
• Place chicken breasts and legs into a resealable plastic bag. Pour in piri piri sauce, seal the bag, and shake gently to completely cover chicken. Put the bag in the refrigerator to marinate at least 4 hours.
• Remove bag from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to allow chicken to come to room temperature.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from the bag; discard bag and cilantro. Cook chicken on the preheated grill, rotating as necessary to cook evenly, until juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), about 25 minutes.

PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN

Steps:

• For glaze:
• Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cilantro and garlic; cook until garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add piri-piri sauce and lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes. DO AHEAD: Glaze can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before using.
• For chicken:
• Finely chop cilantro, ginger, shallot, and garlic in processor. Add piri-piri sauce, 1/4 cup oil, lemon juice, coarse salt, and pepper; process marinade to blend.
• Place chicken, skin side up, on work surface. Using palm of hand, press on breastbone to flatten chicken. Tuck wing tips under. Pour half of marinade into 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Open chicken like book; place skin side down in single layer in dish. Pour remaining marinade over. Cover; chill at least 4 hours or overnight, turning chicken occasionally.
• Remove top rack from barbecue. Prepare barbecue (medium heat). If using 2-burner gas grill, light 1 burner. If using 3-burner gas grill, do not light center burner. If using charcoal grill, light briquettes in chimney and pour onto 1 side of lower grill rack. Place disposable aluminum pan on unlit part of grill. Place upper grill rack on barbecue; brush with oil.
• Remove chicken from marinade. Arrange skin side up on grill rack above drip pan. Cover barbecue; grill until skin is browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F, turning often, about 40 minutes. Transfer to platter. Pour warm glaze over.