Piri-piri chicken - Secretsfrommyapron

Nutrition and extra info

Gluten-free

kcal353

fat20g

saturates5g

carbs2g

sugars1g

fibre1g

protein42g

salt0.3g

Ingredients

Method

1 chicken, about 2kg

chik-en

Chicken’s many plus points – its versatility, as well as the ease and speed with which it…

2 dried hot chillies

100ml red wine vinegar

6 red chillies

6 garlic cloves

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dried oregano

or-ee-gar-no

Closely related to marjoram, of which it is the wild equivalent, oregano has a coarser, more…

1 tsp dried thyme

This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…

1 tsp golden caster sugar

2 lemons, juiced

le-mon

Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits…

To make the marinade, tip the dried chillies and the vinegar into a pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and leave the chillies to soak until the vinegar is cold. Put the red chillies, garlic, soaked dried chillies and vinegar in a food processor and blitz. Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, sugar, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Blitz again to a paste and set aside.
Sit the chicken in a shallow dish and use a small knife to score all over with cuts 1cm deep. Make sure you do the legs and the underside. Tip the marinade over the chicken and massage into the cuts. Cover and chill for at least 4 hrs, but overnight would be better.
When you’re ready to cook, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roast the chicken for 1 hr, then turn the heat up to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for a further 30-35 mins until a crust has formed on the outside of the chicken.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 30 mins. Serve with homemade wedges or jacket potatoes, coleslaw, some buttered corn cobs and chilli & mint peas.