Peri peri chicken is one of those international dishes that Australians have taken to heart — in fact, it’s got to be one of the entire world’s most popular dishes!
And it’s easy to make your own version of peri-peri chicken at home with this recipe. You can prepare it to perfection on the barbeque or get a roasting butterflied chicken and cook it in the oven.
The result is a spicy, juicy chicken dish that’s perfect for BBQs, parties or just a simple and tasty summertime lunch or dinner.
The combination of spicy marinade and fresh, juicy chicken gives it that distinctive flavour — and we guarantee that this dish will soon become your go-to easy chicken recipe!
What is butterfly chicken?
When you butterfly a piece of meat, you are cutting it so that it has a uniform thickness all over and cooks evenly. This involves cutting out the backbone and pressing the chicken flat to allow even cooking.
You can do this yourself at home or, to make life easy, order a free-range chicken from the Church Street Butcher butterfly range.
Know that all the meat we sell, including chicken, is free-range, free of added hormones and antibiotics and reared to the highest ethical standards. We also only source locally produced meat in a deliberate effort to reduce the distance between farm and fork. This means that we are doing our bit to support the local food-producing community and sustainable methods of farming — and you are too, with the responsible purchasing choices you are making!
You may sometimes hear the term ‘spatchcock chicken’, which is an alternative name for butterfly chicken.
As well as ensuring that all the meat cooks at the same rate, butterflying a chicken means you can season it evenly too. It also produces lots of crispy skin and is super easy to serve.
And peri-peri?
‘Peri-peri’ refers to the chilli peppers used in the recipe that give this dish its distinctive kick.
Peri-peri chicken is often believed to be a Portuguese dish. But its origins go back further to the Portuguese colonies of Angola and Mozambique in Africa.
The Portuguese brought chilli seeds to Africa from South America, and the local people began making them with other ingredients to make a distinctive sauce or marinade used on chicken. This is how the dish evolved and became the global phenomenon we know today.
What should I serve with this dish?
This is a simple dish that speaks for itself, so it doesn’t need fancy sides. To keep it authentic, serve with fries or rice and a simple tomato or green salad.
Get your butterfly chicken from your local online butcher
This recipe is simple and delicious — so start sourcing your ingredients today.
To make it easy, you can order fresh, free-range chicken from Church Street Butcher.
Either choose a regular chicken and butterfly it yourself or, for convenience, choose one from our butterfly chicken range.
Come down to Church Street and see us or take advantage of free delivery on orders over $80 to Brighton and the surrounding Bayside suburbs.
Get peri-peri chicken on your summertime menu and enjoy every tasty, juicy mouthful!
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken (about 1.4kg)
- 4 Green Chilies (or red chillies deseeded if you don't like it too spicy)
- 3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
- 2 teaspoon Sweet paprika
- 2 tablespoon Red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon Flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- Lemon wedges (optional, to serve)
- Tabasco Sauce (optional, to serve)
Instructions
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- 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.
Nutritional Information
- Per serving
- Energy: 552 kcal / 2307 kJ
- Fat: 40 g
- Protein: 47 g
- Carbs: 1 g
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