South Africans like flavour, and their cuisine reflects this. Spicy food is a staple in their culture, and the Portuguese-inspired peri-peri sauce is a go-to for chicken. Your homemade peri-peri sauce for your peri-peri spatchcock chicken may be created using sweet peppers, cayenne, and some chillies. It’s flavorful, easy to cook, and excellent for a family meal on a weeknight.
Peri-peri spatchcock chicken suggestions
Spatchcocking or butterflying a chicken requires nothing more than a pair of sharp scissors and a few minutes of your time. Flip it over, take out the wishbone, and flatten it by pressing down. The chicken breasts will cook more uniformly and retain more moisture this way. Serve it this weekend over a braai with roasted veggies and crispy potatoes using the manner outlined below. The chicken gets a good sear on the grill thanks to the sauce.
Now that the summer rains have arrived, warm and hearty meals are in order. Chicken spatchock with peri-peri sauce is a hearty dish that will satisfy everyone’s need for something spicy and aromatic.
Peri-peri spatchcock chicken recipe
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Global
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
A chicken ‘flattie’ on the barbeque is unbeatable! This spicy, juicy, and flavorful chicken is coated in a delightful handmade peri-peri sauce.
Ingredients
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2 red peppers, chopped
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1 red onion, chopped
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4 cloves garlic, peeled
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5 red chillies
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2 tsp smoked paprika
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2 tsp cayenne pepper
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1½ tsp salt
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1/4 tsp pepper
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juice of 1 lemon
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2 tsp sugar
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1 tsp dried herbs (rosemary or basil)
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⅓ cup vegetable oil
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4 tbsp. vinegar
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2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- INGREDIENTS – Chicken
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1 whole chicken, butterflied
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salt and pepper to season
Method
- METHOD – Peri-Peri Sauce
- In a frying pan, sauté the red peppers and onion in olive oil until soft. Add the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of the salt.
- Add the garlic, chillies, white pepper, lemon juice, sugar and dried herbs.
- Add the mixture to a blender and blend until a smooth paste forms.
- Add the vegetable oil, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce blend again.
- METHOD – Chicken
- Spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone and flattening out the chicken (See notes above)
- Place the chicken on a tray and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour over the peri-peri sauce, keeping some to baste the chicken later.
- To cook the chicken in the oven: Place the chicken on an oven tray and cook in a preheated oven at 180Cfor 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, baste the chicken with the remaining sauce and cook for a further 15 minutes.
- To cook the chicken on the braai: Wrap the chicken in foil and cook on a low heat for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and baste with the remaining sauce. Cook the chicken for another 10 minutes in a braai grid.