This delicious piri piri chicken starts with a spatchcocked chicken, that is oven roasted quickly in a hot oven. Served with an optional green chilli sauce.

piri piri spatchcocked chicken with potatoes

Piri Piri (or sometimes Peri Peri) chicken is a Portuguese dish, named after the piri piri pepper that is popular there. Piri Piri is usually some combination of paprika, vinegar, garlic and hot red pepper, that is basted on to chicken while it roasts or grills.

Simply whip up the Piri Piri marinade in a food processor or blender and you’re good to go. Pop it on to a baking sheet and let it roast away for 35-45 minutes.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Whole Chicken – spatchcocked chicken is becoming much easier to find at grocery stores now and has always been easily available at butcher shops. It’s well worth buying it already spatchcocked, but that said, it’s not that hard to do at home from a whole chicken.

Smoked Paprika – smoked paprika is recommended for the most authentic flavour. In a pinch, regular paprika will work here.

How to Spatchcock a Chicken

Place chicken on cutting board with breast side down and the drumsticks facing towards you. Using kitchen scissors and a sharp knife, cut down one side of the backbone, from one end to the other. Repeat on the other side. Remove and discard backbone. Flip chicken over and using the palm of your hand, press the chicken down to flatten slightly.

piri piri spatchcocked chicken with potatoes

 

Cook’s Notes

The optional green chili sauce of cilantro, green chili pepper and mayonnaise is lovely with the chicken, so I highly recommend it. It was easy to prepare and made a lot, which was great, because the left-overs were nice as a vegetable dip later.

I added some sliced potatoes to the baking sheet to cook alongside the chicken, which makes for a nice sheet pan meal.

spatchcocked piri piri chicken on baking sheet

Get the Recipe: Oven Piri Piri Chicken

This oven roasted piri piri chicken starts with a spatchcocked chicken, that cooks up quickly in a hot oven. Served with an optional green chili sauce.
5 stars from 5 ratings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 (1) whole chicken, spatchcocked

Piri Piri Marinade:

  • 3 cloves (3 cloves) garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2.46 g) dried red chilli flakes
  • 1 Tablespoon (14.79 g) smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup (61 ml) lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon (14.79 ml) red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup (54 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional Green Chilli Sauce:

  • 2 (2) long green chillies, or jalapenos, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup (30 ml) fresh cilantro or fresh parsley leaves
  • 1/2 Tablespoon (7.39 ml) extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon (14.79 ml) lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup (112 ml) mayonnaise, or plain yogurt
  • 1/4 cup (57.5 ml) sour cream

Instructions
 

  • Spatchcock the chicken (*how to below), if not already prepared. Thread two skewers through from side to side. (The skewers are used for easy turning of the chicken, but you can skip if you don't have skewers to use).
  • Combine the Piri Piri marinade ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 425° F. (regular bake/not fan assisted). Rub piri piri marinade on to the top of the chicken. Place your chicken onto a baking sheet, skin side down. Place chicken in to pre-heated oven on the middle rack and roast for 15 minutes, basting once with the reserved marinade. Turn chicken over (skin side up. Cook chicken another 20-30 minutes, basting a couple of times with the reserved marinade, until cooked through to 165F internal temperature when measured in the thickest part of the chicken. Timing may vary (depending on the size of your chicken.
  • While chicken is cooking, make the dressing by combining all ingredients in food processor or blender and processing until well combined.
  • How to spatchcock a chicken: Place chicken on cutting board with breast side down and the drumsticks facing towards you. Using kitchen scissors and a sharp knife, cut down one side of the backbone, from one end to the other. Repeat on the other side. Remove and discard backbone. Flip chicken over and using the palm of your hand, press the chicken down to flatten slightly.

Notes

Nutritional information does not include the optional sauce.
Cuisine: Portuguese, Spanish
Course: Main Course
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 403kcal, Carbohydrates: 6g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 16g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 269mg, Potassium: 321mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 849IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 2mg
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