Piri-Piri Chicken
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
A spatchcocked whole chicken marinated in a blended chilli, garlic and lemon sauce, then grilled or roasted until charred and juicy.
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Method
- 1
Blend the piri-piri sauce. Blend all the sauce ingredients until smooth. Simmer the sauce in a small pan for 3-4 minutes, which cooks out the raw edge of the garlic and tomato and mellows the chilli's heat slightly, then let it cool.
- 2
Spatchcock the chicken. Cut out the backbone with poultry shears and press down firmly on the breastbone to flatten the bird. Slash the legs and breast 2-3 times so the marinade and heat can reach deeper into the meat.
- 3
Marinate. Coat the chicken with half the sauce, working it both under and over the skin, keeping the other half aside for serving. Cover and refrigerate for 6-24 hours.
- 4
Barbecue. Set up two heat zones on the barbecue, with coals or burners lit on one side only. Place the chicken skin-side up on the cool side, cover with the lid, and cook for 35-45 minutes until the thigh reaches around 70°C, then move it skin-side down over the hot side for 4-6 minutes, watching for flare-ups, until charred and crisp and the breast reaches 74°C and the thigh 77-80°C.
- 5
Or roast and grill. Without a barbecue, heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) for at least 20 minutes, then roast on a rack in a tin, skin-up, for 45-55 minutes until the same temperatures are reached, then finish under the grill (broiler) for 3-4 minutes to char the skin.
- 6
Char the lemons and rest. Grill the lemon halves cut-side down for 3-4 minutes until caramelised. Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, then cut into pieces and serve with the reserved sauce and the grilled lemons.
Storage
Keep cooked chicken in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat until piping hot throughout (74°C); it's also good served cold the next day. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- blender
- poultry shears
- barbecue with a lid, or a large roasting tin with a rack
- small saucepan
- instant-read thermometer
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 737 kcal |
| Protein | 50.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 8.1 g |
| of which sugars | 3.5 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.4 g |
| Fat | 55.2 g |
| of which saturates | 13.5 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
| Salt | 2.3 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
