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Like many people, I guess I first discovered Peri Peri Chicken when Nandos kicked off over here in the UK, prior to that I had never really heard about Peri Peri Chicken before. The first time I tasted it was a very long time ago and I still remember thinking it was so amazing and different to the type of grilled chicken I had grown up eating. It was spicy and slightly tangy but hit all the right places in terms of flavour, never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I’d be creating a recipe for Peri Peri Chicken if you had told me this all those years ago.
Since then there has been a massive growth in the grilled chicken eating culture and there is ever growing demand to recreate dishes like this at home. Before creating this recipe I ran some trials using online recipes as guidance and tweaking them; I tried a few different recipes but they weren’t to my liking and I was left feeling as though I would never really perfect a recipe to share. However, I’m pleased to say that I didn’t give up and my perseverance paid off.
Having Bangladeshi roots means that my food and how I choose to cook it is often dictated by my palate and the spices/ingredients I have stocked at home. I have opted to use scotch bonnet peppers instead of piri piri chillies (these are also known as birds eye chillies) as they are spicy but much more aromatic and won’t blow the top of your mouth off, as long as you’re used to eating a moderate level of spice. I’ve also used Kashmiri Chilli powder, for both the heat and colour it gives the chicken.
A simple marinade is created using the ingredients, for maximum flavour it’s best to score the chicken and leave it overnight, this helps the flavours penetrate the flesh of the chicken. I have used the marinade immediately a number of times and this has also resulted in delicious chicken but I would recommend marinating ahead of time where possible.
The marinated chicken can be barbecued, grilled, oven baked or cooked in a pan (I would recommend cast iron if you do plan to pan fry, creates a better seared chicken skin), how you cook it is entirely up to you. I have used all of these methods to cook the chicken and they all produce succulent, juicy chicken. If you do choose to grill the chicken you need to make sure that you cook the chicken through to the middle properly, as long as the juices run clean after piercing the chicken, it is cooked and is safe to eat, any pink fluids or blood indicates that the chicken needs to be cooked further. I like to roast the chicken in the oven and then place under the grill (broiler) to brown/char the skin a little more, this is entirely optional though.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe and it delivers everything you hope for!
Serves 6
You will need: for Peri Peri Chicken
6 chicken legs (skin on or off)
1/2 a medium onion
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp red food colouring
1/4 tsp yellow food colouring
1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (seeds included)
Method:
Watch the video, it’s so easy to do!
- 6 chicken legs (skin on or off)
- ½ a medium onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp white distilled vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp red food colouring
- ¼ tsp yellow food colouring
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper (seeds included)
- Watch the video.
If you like the recipe please share with friends and family, also follow me on Facebook and Instagram. Questions? Leave a comment below or message me on Facebook.
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Salma
Salaams, can I add a little Tabasco sauce to the marinade to give it a fruity flavour instead of scotch bonnet chilli? Jzk
afelia’s kitchen
Wa alaikum as salaam. Yes of course, you can use any chilli sauce you like. 🙂
helan
Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.
Tehmina
Hi, I’m thinking of making 15-20 legs, will I have to double the quantity for the items you have used to make the piri piri marination?
afelia’s kitchen
Triple the recipe.
Ayesha Rahim
The best homemade peri peri chicken I have ever had. Simply the best 👌🏼
afelia’s kitchen
Thank you! 🙂
Aishah
One of my go to recipes. Quick easy and simple to make. Always turns out good.
Thanks Afelia!
Suph
Aww, i just wanted to thank you for this recipe, it’s my go to Peri peri marinade. I’ve tried many marinades before, but they are always so complicated with a million ingredients, so thank you.
Sam
Do you cook the chicken uncovered?
afelia’s kitchen
Yes cook the chicken uncovered.
Hasina Khatun
Lovely chicken! Thank you. I followed recipe to a T apart from vinegar (didn’t have any). The family loved it!
Maryum
This was so good the only thing for me was that the scotch bonnet pepper was very hot so I added a few table spoons of yoghurt and that was perfect. I had chickens strips and made wraps with it x
afelia’s kitchen
Ahh, hope you manage to adjust the heat for next time, happy you managed to fix it and enjoyed it! 😀
Rahbia
First time around when I tried it, it was good but felt like it lacked something. So when I tried it again I added a full tsp of the chilli powder and also I added two tbsp of nando’s medium peri peri sauce and it tasted much much better 🙂
afelia’s kitchen
I’ve never had anyone say that before but I’m glad you were able to remedy it this time around. 🙂
Shirin
Hi, I wondered if adding the naga would make it too spicy? I always associated naga with extreme heat so I’m worried to add that?
Thanks x
afelia’s kitchen
No it doesn’t make it extremely spicy if you’re used to some heat, none of the recipes I share are extremely spicy and catered for families. That said it can depend a lot on how spicy the pepper you are using is, some tend to be more fiery than others so if in doubt, just add less. x
aisha
How would I adjust the recipe for drumsticks
afelia’s kitchen
With the amounts in this recipe I would say you can marinate between 8 – 10 drumsticks. x
SABAH
Hello. I was wondering if I could use 1 tsp of paprika or only 1 tsp of Kashmirir chilli powder? What is the function of both powders? I thought they both have the same job-red colour and mild spice flavour.
afelia’s kitchen
Hi, I use both to give the Peri Peri chicken it’s deep colour, if you don’t mind it not being so deep then by all means use one. x
Sabah
Thank you !
afelia’s kitchen
You’re welcome! 🙂 x
Fateha
This was such an easy and quick dish to make yet so delicious. My husband loved it and had more pieces than I was anticipating lol. Quick question though – if I was to grill it next time, how long would I keep it in there for?
Thanks for all your amazing recipes sis! xx
afelia’s kitchen
Haha, I’m so pleased to hear that! Not entirely sure how long to cook them under the grill tbh as I’ve never done it myself but I’d say about 10 – 15 minutes each side? But you would have to make sure the chicken cooks through to the middle and is no longer pink. x
Shaz
Would it make any difference if my masala becomes watery
afelia’s kitchen
How do you mean your masala becomes watery?
afelia’s kitchen
You mean the marinade becomes watery?
Shaz
Hi do u cover the chicken or leave it uncovered in the oven.
afelia’s kitchen
I leave it uncovered. x
Rafina
This was amazing so flavoursome before this i used to use the nando rub n marinade sachets which worked out quite expensive with this recepie all the ingredients are everyday ingredients we would have at home the smell and taste was exactly like the nando sachets defiantly a keeper thank you for sharing xx
afelia’s kitchen
You are most welcome, so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the feedback. 🙂 xx
Kheira UmmAdam
Made this so many times, soo good! I used to follow a long process of grilling peppers peeling them and blitzing them but this tastes just as good and is so simple. Thanks for all your recipes!
A
Our fave recipe.. one my MIL actually requests too! Mashaa’Allah – so easy and so flavoursome. May Allah reward you for your efforts ❤️
You might wanna bottle this one up and sell it! 🤭
W
Sooooo good and so easy to follow. Wish i could find a scotch bonnet that actually gives heat and that peri peri fragrance 🙁
Selina
Omg this was amazing. Everyone in my family loved it! My favourite recipe so far!! Thank you so much xx
afelia’s kitchen
That’s great, I’m so pleased it went down well! 😀
Nosheen
You’re going to get sick of me commenting but such an easy and delicious dish. Husband said this is a keeper! Thank you x
Milli
Such a simple and delicious recipe. I can’t believe you can actually make such tasty chicken with just a few ingredients. It definitely tastes better than any shop bought sauce. Absolutely delicious. A special thank you to Afelia for her amazing tips about cooking on her Instagram. You are my favourite x
Rujina Begum
Great recipe. I can’t find white vinegar anywhere. Can I use anything else?
afelia’s kitchen
Yes just use malt vinegar. x
Shelema
There I was standing in my kitchen, talking to my sister on the phone about tonight’s Iftar prep and pondering over how to cook the chicken. My sister says, ‘Afazi, try AfeliasKitchen peri peri recipe, I’ve heard such good reviews on that.’ So I thought ok, I will.
Initial thoughts whilst making it were, this can’t be this easy to make, I mean the recipe is so simple. Bung it in the oven and less tgan an hour later, OMG, AMAZING!!!! This is my favourite recipe now! It was a hit with my boys and my husband, they asked for more and I’m quick to make some more because why not? Its so simple after all!
Tisha
This was our main dish for our first iftar and such a big hit too! Mashallah a really delicious sauce! I omitted the scotch bonnet and used normal chilli powder to make it child friendly and they absolutely loved it! I can definitely see this making a few more appearances on the iftar table!
Salma
Salams
Thanks for sharing the recipe… I’ve been looking for a peri peri chicken recipe that’s simple to follow for a long time! Quick question… is white vinegar the same as distilled white vinegar? Thanks!
afelia’s kitchen
Yes it is. x
Ruhina Begum
Hi do you have to leave the chicken in the marinade for some hours? Or can put straight in
afelia’s kitchen
You can cook it straight away but it’s preferable to marinate for a few hours to let the marinade penetrate the chicken flesh.
Rose Begum
Hi,
I made this following the exact instructions but when I put the chicken in the oven the marinade quite watery and not thick as shown on the video. What do you think I did wrong? Do you think there was too much water in the chicken? I did have to defrost but I thought I dried the chicken before applying the marinade. Please help!
afelia’s kitchen
Did you cook the chicken uncovered or did you cover it with foil?
Ashley
This recipe was so delicious! My husband and family loved this chicken so much! My sister cannot eat very spicy food so instead of using a scotch bonnet pepper, I used regular chilli peppers. The only thing I would have done differently is marinate the chicken over night so the flavors could really soak into the chicken. Thank you so much for sharing. LOVED THIS!
afelia’s kitchen
You’re welcome, I’m glad it went down so well with you and the family, thanks for the review! 🙂 x
summiyah
Hi. I want to make this tomorrow. But no scotch bonnet peppers. What can I use instead?
afelia’s kitchen
Use any other type of spicy pepper to give the recipe a kick, green chillies would work too but might not give the same aroma a scotch bonnet does. Try using a spicy chilli sauce instead if you don’t have anything else. x
Shiba
Just wanted to say thank you for the amazing recipes. For someone who burns toast, this was very very easy to follow. I made it yesterday and can’t wait to taste it.
Quick question- I didn’t have colouring and it’s a lighter colour. What can I do to make it look like yours?
afelia’s kitchen
Aww I’m so pleased you were able to follow it through easily! Make sure you use Kashmiri chilli powder and food colouring in order to make it like mine. 🙂
Muneerah
Fast and easy recipe that’s perfect for busy weeknights. Best of all, it tasted amazing!
Tee
This was really lovely and super super easy to make. It isn’t the same as nandoes chicken but hey is there a chicken recipe that is? I made mine super spicy and enjoyed with roast potatoes and salad
Dave
It was bloody fantastic.
afelia’s kitchen
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Miss Begum
So I made this for my brother and sister in law. My husband decided to test it with a roast potatoe as i didn’t make enough chicken. He literally licked the sauce off his finger and was heartbroken when it came to an end. I’ll be sure to make a bigger batch next time. Well done and Thank you Afelia for making such delicious recipes for us. It makes us not so good cooks look very good !
Tina Paul
Just tried this recipe and it tasted amazing, so flavoursome and succulent. The recipe was easy to follow with a few store cupboard ingredients. I did leave out the food colouring just as I didn’t have any but the flavour was all there. I will never be buying a jar/packet marinade ever again!!!
Thank you Afelia’s kitchen 😊
Salma
Absolutely loved this recipe! My husband cleaned his chickens to the bones. Will definitely be making it again. Xx
Shelema
Made this for my boys over the weekend and they consumed it so fast! I love the fact that your recipe’s are easy to follow with pictures and so simple. I don’t enjoy being in the kitchen but your website and recipes make life so much easier for those days I’m brain dead and dont know what to cook.
Mimi
Tried this recipe and it was a hit (I only baked 2 pieces froze the rest) let those flavours infuseeee lol
afelia’s kitchen
Hahaha, yessss! 🙂 x
Umm Fatimah
I’ve just marinaded the chicken now for the kids. Let you know what the herd say. Love how you have written out the recipes. So easy to follow. Thank you.
AR
Hi
Would you recommend just doubling up on all the ingredients if I’m making around 12-15 legs instead of 6?
afelia’s kitchen
Yes, if you plan on making more than 12 legs perhaps increase the ingredients to slightly more than double. x
Sara
Assalamu Alaikum. I made this yesterday and loved the colour and taste of the chicken. However I actually added 1/2 tsp of the rajah mixed curry powder and 1/2 tsp of the hot bolt curry powder and it was delish. Jazakallah for the recipe. It was lovely.
Anjum
Yum yum! Want to please some one, then do try this one with just few handy ingredients. They are so lovely, juicy and amazingly delicious. Loved every bite of this peri peri chicken. Thank you Afelia for sharing it. I was waiting for u to share this recipe, when u posted the pic in IG. The moment you shared it, I didn’t take time to try it out. One amazing dish
Fatama
I love peri peri chicken and order nearly every week. But since this recipe has been up I’ve made it a few times and it’s 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻.
Best part is it’s so easy and quick with ingredients you most probably have at home. This has become a favourite in my house..another 👍🏼👍🏼
Your recipes never fail me sister 💜💜💜 Thank u
Ismatara
Tried making this today and it was delicious. Thumbs up from hubby too 🙂
Ismatara
Tried making this today and it was delicious. Thumbs up from hubby too 🙂 Thanks for the recipe.
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I made this the other day for a friend. TBH im not a big fan of peri peri chicken myself (never was), but it tasted ok. However my friend REALLY REALLY enjoyed it. Thank you for the recipe xx
Hasna
Tried this recipe yesterday and it was absolutely delicious! So simple and easy to follow the recipe and I love the fact that you don’t need too many ingredients! Thank you for sharing this recipe with us
Rupshana
It was delicious… very simple to do.. thank you soo much for the receipe.. x
Hiba
Hey! I made this last Friday and it was well received! I didn’t have scotch bonnet .. so I use 4-5 dry red chillies instead! Didn’t use the food color either! Added potato wedges around the chicken and marinated it with the remaining marinade. It was excellent! Jazak Allahu khairan 😊
Roo
I still remember the first time I ever made this chicken. My husband said “it’s finger licking good” 😂 His usually very fussy & hard to impress. The recipe is so easy to follow and comes out good every time. I’ve made this at least 10x or more. I’ve even used this recipe using chicken niblets when having a party and have taken it to places for iftar.
afelia’s kitchen
Awesome, I love it when you guys adapt recipes for your own needs! 🙂
aV
I thought this recipe wasn’t very nice and tasted nothing like peri peri chicken. Having said that, maybe my mixture was too liquidy. Who knows
afelia’s kitchen
I don’t know what you did wrong because every other person that has tried this recipe has come back with nothing but praise. The marinade isn’t liquidy so I’ve no idea what you did.
umm hasan
The best peri peri chicken i ever made… it turned out sooo delicious 😋
Amy
Alhamdulillah I tried this recipe and it tasted soo good !
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Tahmina
This was just tooo good! The smell and taste was perfect. So simple to do with not many ingredients too. Thank you afelias kitchen xx
Farah
Followed your recipie sis, going to cook this tomorrow insha Allah! Can’t wait! Jazkallah for the video x
Shuheda Ansari
Where did you purchase your chicken from
Moriom khanom
Will definitely try it , it looks amazing 😉
Anjum
Wow. Most awaited recipe. I’m gonna try this for sure!
Shehana
Wow such simple ingredients and so easy to put together and comes out so so good! Afelias recipes never fail! Each one I try is always spot on ma shaa Allah!
afelia’s kitchen
Thank you, I’m so happy this recipe was a worked for you, I love it when you guys love my recipes. 😀 x