A Portuguese dish with its roots firmly within the former colonies of Angola and Mozambique, this fiery, tangy marinade was popularised in Britain by a South African chain and has rapidly gone native. Today, you will get piri piri salad dressing, piri piri crisps and even piri piri fish and chips, however you possibly can’t beat the unique, recent from the grill.
Prep 10 min
Marinate 1 hr+
Cook dinner 1 hr
Serves 4
4 skin-on, bone-in complete hen legs (ie, thigh and drumstick)
Lemon wedges, to serve
For the marinade
4 garlic cloves
2 tsp flaky salt
Juice of ½ lemon
For the piri piri sauce
2-4 purple African or Thai chicken’s eye chillies, to style
2 plump garlic cloves
1½ tsp flaky salt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp candy smoked paprika
50ml olive oil, or impartial oil
1 tbsp port, or 1 tsp brown sugar (elective)
1 Rooster leg or breast?
Historically, this could be made with an entire spatchcocked hen, however I discovered it onerous to supply birds sufficiently small to cook dinner by with out burning (you might use a guinea fowl as an alternative, in the event you want). Additionally, as a result of breasts dry out rapidly over a excessive warmth, I usually stick to simply hen legs, so swap in breasts or wings in the event you like.
2 Or different meat?
Alternatively, use the identical marinade on complete fish (sardines, sea bream, mackerel, and so forth) or meaty fish fillets (chef Nuno Mendes pairs it with halibut), massive prawns, lamb or pork chops, or agency tofu. I’d recommend frivolously brushing greens with oil and salt earlier than cooking, quite than with the marinade, and serving with the latter as a sauce.
3 Put together the hen
If utilizing the hen legs, purchase them bone in for ease of cooking; go away the pores and skin on, too, to insulate them in opposition to the warmth. In the event you’d want them damaged down into drumsticks and thighs, by all means accomplish that, or purchase them individually. Both manner, put the hen in a bath or roasting tin simply massive sufficient to carry all of it in a single layer.
4 Marinate in lemon and garlic
Peel the garlic and puree with a garlic crusher, pestle and mortar or the flat of a knife. Combine within the salt and lemon juice, then pour over the meat, turning to make sure it’s nicely coated. Cowl and go away at room temperature (except it’s a very popular day) for an hour, or chill for as much as 4 hours.
5 A observe on the chillies
In the meantime, make the sauce. Recent piri piri chillies are onerous to come back by within the UK, although they’re generally out there on-line, however any fiery ripe (purple) selection will do, and I feel recent work higher than dried. Exercising warning, or carrying gloves, roughly chop the flesh seeds and all, discarding the stalks.
6 End the sauce
Peel and roughly chop the garlic, then use a pestle and mortar, the again of a heavy knife or a mini chopper to mash along with the chillies and salt. Stir within the lemon juice, then whisk within the paprika and oil. Style gingerly and add the port, if utilizing, or sugar in the event you’d prefer it to be sweeter.
7 Grill the hen …
Put together the barbecue, if utilizing. As soon as it’s at cooking temperature (if utilizing a coal barbecue, wait till the coals flip gray), organize the hen on a frivolously greased grill and canopy. Cook dinner for 35 minutes, turning as soon as, then verify. As soon as it’s nearly accomplished, brush with the piri piri sauce and grill, lid off, for about one other 10 minutes, till cooked by.
8 … or roast
Alternatively, warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gasoline 6 and bake the hen in a roasting tin or tray for about 35 minutes, till cooked by, basting with its juices often. Warmth a griddle pan to medium sizzling, brush the hen with the piri piri and grill for a couple of minutes on both sides, till simply beginning to char.
9 Serving solutions
Serve the hen with chips, rice or bread and tomato salad, with additional lemon wedges and any remaining sauce on the facet. Notice that it’s value making double the sauce, as a result of in Portugal it’s served with all types and never simply hen – you can even purchase good ready-made variations in Portuguese or some African specialists.