Piri Piri Chicken - Illustrated

[976bar]

I know I have posted this recipe previously, but at the time I did not know how to put pictures on here. So I made this again starting last Wednesday and finally cooked it on Friday evening, but this time with pictures.

FRANGO PIRI-PIRI
(Piri-Piri Chicken)
This dish originates from Africa but was adopted by the Portuguese and is now one of their main dishes served in restaurants, caf?s, and bars. It is a simple but tasty dish, and is a fond memory for me. The dish is usually served with crisp hot french fries, but you could serve boiled new potatoes if you prefer. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

1 medium sized chicken, washed
1 cup Molho de Piri-Piri (see recipe)
Pinch of ground piri-piri chillis (or substitute piquin or Thai)
Pinch of oregano (fresh or dried)
Romaine lettuce
1 medium red onion, sliced and separated into rings
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup Molho de Piri-Piri (see recipe)
1 lemon, sliced for garnish
I marinated the chicken whole, before spatchcocking it for cooking as it takes up less room in the fridge. I also gently prize the skin away from the flesh and pour in some of the marinade between the flesh and the skin so it can penetrate the flesh to give it more flavour.
Place the chicken on a cutting board and split it lengthways at the breastbone (but not in two halves) so that it will lie flat. Then flatten it as much as possible with a mallet. Place the chicken in a shallow glass pan and more the Molho over it. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 hours. (I marinated this for 24 hours).
Remove the chicken and sprinkle over it some of the ground piri-piri and oregano. Grill the chicken over coals or gas until done. (It can also be baked in the glass pan with the marinade.) (I grilled the chicken over coals until it had browned, then removed and cooked in the oven so that the chicken was properly cooked, then just finished on the coals again for around 15 minutes).
Chop the chicken coarsely.
Arrange the lettuce on four plates, add the onion rings and tomatoes, and top with the chicken. Serve garnished with lemon slices and a small bowl of the Molho as a dressing.
Yield: 4 servings Heat Scale: Medium
Molho de Piri Piri Recipe
1/4 cup dried piri-piri chillis or substitute piquin or Thai1 cup olive oil
1 lemon slice, cut into quarters
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup brandy or whiskey
2 cloves garlic, minced
Combine the chillis, olive oil, lemon, bay leaf, salt, brandy or whiskey, and garlic in a medium saucepan and heat for 15 minutes. Let cool and pour into a glass container. Refrigerate overnight.

[JerryM]

976bar,

pics are just as i remember it when i made it - probably now a few months ago.

link for info to the original post. https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3533.new;topicseen


i'm going to make again this week.

the only thing on my mind is whether i could score the skin as opposed to pushing the marinade underneath.

[976bar]

976bar,

pics are just as i remember it when i made it - probably now a few months ago.

link for info to the original post. https://curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3533.new;topicseen


i'm going to make again this week.

the only thing on my mind is whether i could score the skin as opposed to pushing the marinade underneath.

Hi Jerry,

You could score the skin, but that tends to make it shrivel up when cooking on the coals, by gently lifting the skin and putting the marinade in between, keeps the skin intact when cooking

[Unclebuck]

Keep up the good work 976bar, ill need to get around to making this.

[JerryM]

have got my 2nd go underway.

i ended up scoring the flesh (only lightly and very lightly on the breast).

i got the flattening out just right i feel - we'll see at cooking.

just one question relating to the recipe - i've realised i've always used a full portion of the Molho but it's probably more than 1/4 cup and i've rightly or wrongly used the whole lot as the marinade.

this time of making it's for the good lady and me only so i've gone whole hog on the chillies using 2 tbsp before cutting up with scissors.

[976bar]

have got my 2nd go underway.

i ended up scoring the flesh (only lightly and very lightly on the breast).

i got the flattening out just right i feel - we'll see at cooking.

just one question relating to the recipe - i've realised i've always used a full portion of the Molho but it's probably more than 1/4 cup and i've rightly or wrongly used the whole lot as the marinade.

this time of making it's for the good lady and me only so i've gone whole hog on the chillies using 2 tbsp before cutting up with scissors.

Jerry,

You have my mouth watering already!!! I would say keep just a little bit of the Molho back in a mug and use it for basting when it's on the coals. If the skin starts to become a bit too brown or dry, it's nice to have something to baste it with

[JerryM]

976bar,

many thanks.

going for it thursday night. intend to cook it slow on the bbq (~ 1.5 hrs and turn it up for the last 15 mins)

[JerryM]

had real good evening last night on the chicken.

i still don't think i've got it tasting as good as it could though.

i definitely got it as flat as possible and the cooking was very good compared with last time.

this time i over did the cooking leaving 40 mins on low for both sides. the bone meat was just about but the breast was still ok but not as good as it can be.

because the 80 mins was too long (for the breast meat) i could not turn up the heat for the last 15mins to crisp up the skin.

i'm thinking next time to either part cook in the oven and then bbq for last 30 mins or deep score the legs to help them cooker quicker.

on the marinade taste i used what i thought was a lot of chillies (2 tbsp when whole). i think i'll up it next time to say 2tbsp chopped/cut up.

i also forgot to add the oregano (an important ingredient for me) - could this be added into the marinade up front to simplify things.

this dish is tantalisingly close to being perfect. i'm going to have to have another go.

any thoughts 976bar will be much appreciated.

[976bar]

had real good evening last night on the chicken.

i still don't think i've got it tasting as good as it could though.

i definitely got it as flat as possible and the cooking was very good compared with last time.

this time i over did the cooking leaving 40 mins on low for both sides. the bone meat was just about but the breast was still ok but not as good as it can be.

because the 80 mins was too long (for the breast meat) i could not turn up the heat for the last 15mins to crisp up the skin.

i'm thinking next time to either part cook in the oven and then bbq for last 30 mins or deep score the legs to help them cooker quicker.

on the marinade taste i used what i thought was a lot of chillies (2 tbsp when whole). i think i'll up it next time to say 2tbsp chopped/cut up.

i also forgot to add the oregano (an important ingredient for me) - could this be added into the marinade up front to simplify things.

this dish is tantalisingly close to being perfect. i'm going to have to have another go.

any thoughts 976bar will be much appreciated.

Hi Jerry,

When I did mine last week, I sealed it on the coals, then I cooked it in the oven, then finished it off on the coals again to crisp the skin, just remember to save a little of the marinade to baste with when back on the coals again.

With regards to the Oregano, I didn't put it in the marinade when I first made it, but added it to the marinade just prior to adding it to the chicken. I think if it were to be added to the marinade when making the marinade, it might lose its flavour some.

Apart from that it looks really good

[JerryM]

976bar,

many thanks - it's now on our frequent make list and my thoughts are just fine tuning.

i make chicken legs in marinade quite often and score them deep and it seems to work. i will try this on the piri as this will i hope allow me to cook right through on the bbq (hard to get that succulent taste in the oven). i will also try adding the oregano to the marinade as i can always add a bit more at cooking time.

the la buyo chillies have really hit the spot - they add a woody twist to the heat - very nice.