Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4-5 lbs of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs and drumsticks work well)
- Kosher salt to taste
For the Piri Piri Sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 tsp red wine vinegar
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 10-12 hot red chili peppers (like Thai chilis or cayenne)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Make the Piri Piri Sauce
Combine all the sauce ingredients – except for the butter and lemon juice – in a blender. Blend until the mixture is relatively smooth. You might still see small bits of pepper and garlic; this is fine.
Pour the blended mixture into a small saucepan and add the butter. Place the pot over low heat until the butter is fully melted, then let it simmer for another minute.
Take the pot off the heat and stir in the fresh lemon juice. Set the sauce aside.
If you can’t find fresh red chilis, you can use dried ones like chili de arbol. Just soak them in hot water for about 20 minutes first to rehydrate them.
Grill and Baste the Chicken
Get your grill to a medium-high heat, around 375-425F.
Pat the chicken pieces completely dry and season them with salt. Place them on the grill grates skin-side down and cook for ~4-5 minutes to get the skin started.
Flip the chicken over and brush the top side with a layer of the piri piri sauce. Let it cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Continue flipping the chicken and basting the upward-facing side every 4-5 minutes. The sauce has oil in it, which can cause flare-ups, so moving the chicken around is important.
Cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches ~165F in the thickest part. This should take a total of 30-40 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
Rest the Chicken Before Serving
Take the chicken off the grill and let it rest for about 5 minutes. This allows the juices to settle back into the meat.
Piri Piri Chicken
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 4-5 lbs of bone-in thighs and drumsticks work well, skin-on chicken pieces
- Kosher salt to taste
For the Piri Piri Sauce
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 tsp red wine vinegar
- 8 cloves garlic
- 10-12 hot red chili peppers like Thai chilis or cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Blend olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, chilis, bay leaf, paprika, oregano, and salt until smooth.
- Pour mixture into saucepan, add butter, and simmer on low for 1 minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
- Heat grill to 375-425F.
- Pat chicken dry, season with salt, place skin-side down on grill.
- Grill 4-5 minutes, flip and baste with sauce.
- Continue flipping and basting every 4-5 minutes until internal temperature reaches 165F (30-40 minutes total).
- Rest chicken 5 minutes before serving.
