The most delicious peri peri chicken baked to juicy perfection is great for dinner and will have you licking the plate!
Cooking a butterflied chicken slathered in spicy, aromatic peri peri sauce always results in the ultimate finger-licking meal. If you like spicy food, this recipe is for you!
How to make peri peri chicken
- Make the peri-peri sauce: Combine the onion, garlic, chillies, vinegar, sugar and salt in a saucepan and allow to cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are soft. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth then allow to cool to room temperature.
- Marinate the chicken: Butterfly a whole chicken by cutting along both sides of the back bone, turn the chicken over and press down to flatten. Season the generously with salt then pour over the peri peri sauce. Using a spoon, smear the peri peri over the chicken and under the skin on the breast, making sure the chicken is well covered.
- Cook the chicken: Place the chicken in an oven-proof dish and add peeled and quartered potatoes. Season the potatoes with olive oil, salt and paprika. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 45 minutes – 1 hour, basting with the sauce every 15-20 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear when cut. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes. At this point, keep the potatoes in the oven to allow them to stay hot and crisp. Slice and serve the chicken with the potatoes.
Can I make this in advance?
The chicken can marinated and kept covered in the fridge for up to 2 days in advance. Leftover roast chicken can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days.
Can this chicken be cooked on a grill?
Absolutely! This chicken is perfect when cooked on a grill/braai/barbecue. Cook the chicken over medium-low coals with the lid closed for 30-45 minutes until cooked through and caramelized.
Serving suggestions
- Crispy salt and pepper smashed potatoes
- Easy spicy garlic baked potato wedges
- Easy side salad with lemon dressing
- Cheese and herb beer bread
- Easy creamy potato salad
Peri peri recipes
- Home-made Peri-Peri sauce
- Easy peri-peri fried chicken livers
- Peri-Peri grilled chicken salad with charred corn
Baked peri peri chicken
Juicy baked peri peri chicken with potatoes is a delicious dinner recipe perfect for feeding a crowd.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 398kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 3-5 chillies (depending on how spicy you want the chicken to be)
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
For the chicken
- 1 whole chicken (butterflied)
- salt to taste
For the potatoes
- 4-6 large potatoes peeled and quartered
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes until onions are soft. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth then adjust seasoning as needed and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Season the chicken generously with salt and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Pour over the peri peri sauce and with a spoon, smear the sauce over the chicken and underneath the skin on the breast. Make sure the chicken is well-covered by the sauce.
- Season the potatoes with olive oil, salt and paprika then add to the dish around the potatoes.
- Place in the oven and allow to bake for 45-60 minutes, basting every 15-20 minutes. The chicken is ready when the juices run clear when cut.
- Remove the chicken and allow to rest, covered with foil, for at least 10 minutes. Allow the potatoes to continue roasting.
- Slice and serve the chicken with the potatoes and other side dishes of your choice.
Nutrition
Calories: 398kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 120mg | Sodium: 503mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 440IU | Vitamin C: 40.2mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1.8mg
Hi, what is the green herb that is speckled on top in the picture? That doesn’t seem to be on the list of ingredients?
It’s just a bit of parsley for garnish, not a necessity.
Can I ask what type of chillies you use?
I used African bird’s eye chillies but Thai chillies and Serranos will also work well.
Nando’s aint got nothing on this recipe! Most delicious spicy chicken I’ve ever tasted.
Hahaha, what a great compliment. Thanks Nataliee!
Was looking forward to making and having it for dinner. I used green chillies since that was all I had. Is that why the paste turned out greenish? There wasn’t much flavour on the chicken as I had hoped. Not much basting required as there was hardly any juices while the chicken was cooking. Disappointed with how this turned out. Not sure what happened.
I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you Ida. Yes, the green chillies will definitely result in the peri-peri being green. The peri-peri sauce on its own should be very flavorful with the herbs, garlic and chillies, so it’s strange that it didn’t infuse and flavor the chicken.
I absolutely love your peri peri sauce so can’t wait to try this!
I’m sure you’re going to LOVE this. 🙂
assume the peri peri chicken cooks at 200C – or should it be 400F
Yes, indeed! I have amended the recipe, thanks so much!