Originally a recipe created in Mozambique and Angola by the Portuguese using peri peri chillies, this recipe has become widely popularised by the famous chain restaurant Nandos. This is my take on this delicious tangy, spicy recipe.

Serves: 4 main portions
Prep Time: 10 minutes + optional but recommended > 4 hours marinating time
Cooking time: 1 hour + minimum 10 min resting time.

Ingredients:

• 1 whole large chicken (can also be done with 4-6 chicken legs with thighs)
• 2 whole grilled red bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon dried chilli flakes or minced chilli paste /1 medium-hot chilli with seeds (or as many as you like!)
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 4-6 large cloves of garlic
• Optional: 2-4 extra tablespoons of butter to stuff under the skin.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Spatchcock the chicken by cutting it along the spine and opening it up like a book (breast side up) and place in a baking dish lined with baking paper for easier cleaning up. (see picture below)
3. Season the bird generously with salt and pepper on both sides. 
4. In a food processor/jug blender add the rest of ingredients (except the optional extra butter) and blend for a minute until a smooth marinade has formed.
5. Take one tablespoon of your marinade and massage it under the skin of the chicken breast. For an even juicer option, you can opt to mix in this small portion of marinade with 2-4 tablespoons of butter and stuff that under the skin – your tastebuds will not be disappointed!
6. Then massage 3-5 tablespoons of the marinade all over the chicken. If you have leftover marinade, this can be kept in a sealed container for a week in the fridge for later use (maybe some quick peri peri spicy wings?)
7. Transfer the chicken to the oven and cook for around 1 hour until nice and golden and the juices from the deepest part of the thigh run clear. Every 20 minutes base the chicken with the pan juices for even better results.
8. Take out of the oven and ALLOW TO REST for at least 10-15 minutes before carving. Dress with pan juices and serve with any sides you prefer. My favourites are sweet potato fries, corn on the cob and mushy peas!

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Notes:

Feel free to add/ reduce the chillies according to your taste. Taking away the seeds will also give a milder flavour.

Before making the marinade, grilling the chillies and the peppers in a dry hot pan helps add to the smokiness of the dish. When I don’t have any fresh bell pepper or chillies available, store-bought frozen grilled bell peppers and some chilli paste/dried chillies still work a treat.

When covering the chicken with marinade, try to avoid huge clumps of the marinade for nice charring.

Leaving the bird to marinate with the spices will definitely improve flavour and should ideally be left overnight. However if you’re in a rush I can guarantee you a delicious result even if you chuck it straight into the oven.

If you have a strong fan-forced electric oven, the charring might start to happen a bit too rapidly. If after 30 mins the bird is already well charred, decrease the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius, and add a further 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Cooking times are a rough guide, if you have a small chicken/are using just chicken drumsticks/thighs, check for doneness at around 45 minutes. As usual the chicken is cooked when the juices run clear at the thickest point of the meat.

This can also be done in a barbecue with an alternating direct and indirect heat technique. It should take around 20-30 minutes if you have a good heat source. Make sure juices run clear before serving.

As with all meat dishes, please do not cut into the meat straight out of the oven. Allowing the meat to relax will ensure a much juicer.

Lastly, for a lactose free version you can use lactose free butter or simply substitute with olive oil.