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Nandos Style Peri-Peri Chicken

Craving the spicy, tangy, and irresistible flavours of Nando's style Peri-Peri Chicken but don't want to leave the comfort of your home? Look no further! Here’s my recipe for my go to order: their Fino Pitta!
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Total Time:1 hour
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: brazilian, Portugueses
Keyword: chicken, nandos, peri-peri chicken
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

For the Peri-Peri Marinade:

  • 3-5 birds eye red chillis adjust to taste for spiciness
  • 1 sweet red pointed pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 orange pepper
  • 2 red onions
  • 7 cloves garlic
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Handful of coriander
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar optional, to taste

For the Chicken:

  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for grilling

Instructions

Prepare the Peri-Peri Marinade:

  • Begin by washing all the veggies for the peri-peri marinade. Then chop the peppers in half, quarter and peel the red onions and finally peel the garlic cloves. Place the peppers, red onions, garlic cloves and red chillis onto a baking tray and grill at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.
  • Allow the veg to cool for 10 minutes before adding to a food processor along with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, coriander, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, and brown sugar.
  • Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, adding more salt, sugar, or lemon juice as needed.

Marinate the Chicken:

  • Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl or a resealable plastic bag.
  • Pour the Peri-Peri marinade over the chicken, ensuring all pieces are well-coated.
  • Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight for the best flavour.

Cook the Chicken:

  • Preheat your griddle pan to medium heat.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off.
  • Brush the grill grates with olive oil. Grill the chicken for 7-8 minutes per side, or until fully cooked and nicely charred.
  • If baking, place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until fully cooked. For extra char, you can grill the chicken for the last 2-3 minutes.

Combine the fino pitta:

  • Toast a pitta for 2- 3 minutes and whilst still warm slice halfway through
  • Spread some perinaise inside followed by some chopped romaine lettuce chicken thighs and griddle halloumi