Piri Piri Chicken

This dish needs no introduction, and whilst marinades are easy to buy, nothing comes close to the satisfaction and flavour of making your own version of this classic Portuguese chicken dish. The chilli hat is beautifully offset with the citrus sharpness, and this grilled chicken is really hard to beat!

If you are worried about heat, then reduce the quantities of the chillies, however they will mellow during cooking, and this is meant to be a dish with some heat.

Serves 2 (adjust the quantities for more persons)

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Ingredients

4 Dorset Meat Company chicken legs, or 4 chicken thighs and 4 chicken drumsticks
4 red chillies
2 x birds eye chillies
4 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 lemons, plus the zest of one
50ml white wine vinegar
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1tsp dried oregano
1tsp brown sugar
2 tsp sea salt
50ml Rapeseed oil
1 lemon to serve

Method

De-seed, then finely chop the chillies.
Add all of the marinade ingredients to a blender and blitz.
Set aside a few spoonfuls of the marinade for serving, then add the remainder to the chicken, making sure it is well coated, and leave to marinade for a few hours, preferably overnight.
Pre heat your oven to 200°C, and roast the chicken for 30 minutes, until just cooked (check the juices run clear). Then to finish, flash the skin side under a grill, or on the barbeque, until crisp.
Add the set aside marinade to the top of the skin, and serve with crisp French fries and a squeeze of lemon. For an extra side dish, try some smooth cooling coleslaw and a fresh salad.

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