Day 5: African Devil Chicken (Piri Piri)

Day 5

New Zealand 1 Slovakia 1
Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0
Brazil 2 North Korea 1

For tonights meal it was a very easy choice with the Portuguese influence and also with the World Cup being in Africa I decided to go for Chicken in a fiery Piri Piri marinade.

Piri Piri (also under its other name of African Devil/African Bird’s Eye after the chillis that are used) has its origins in East Africa and is used in Portuguese cuisine extensively.
 

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 lemons
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2-3 red chillis (small African devil if possible)
2 Bay leaves
2 cloves of garlic

Cooking Utensils
Food Processor
Oven dish
Chopping board
Sharp knife


Preparation
 

- To get extra juice from the lemons place in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using
 
- Wash out your chicken and let stand on glass to dry

- Place chillis, garlic and bay leaves, olive oil and lemon into a food processor and blitz
 

- Pour marinade all over chicken – keep the mixture that falls to one side so you can reapply during cooking process
Cooking
- Preheat oven to 180C
- Cook chicken breast side down for the first 15 minutes
 

- After 15 minutes turn chicken onto its back & baste with piri piri marinade and cook for a further 60 minutes
 

- Here you can add your par-boiled potatoes for roast potatoes – I marinaded them in some fresh lemon juice this time. Further explanation if needed is here:
- Every 20 minutes remove chicken and baste in fiery piri piri sauce
 

- When chicken is cooked remove from oven and separate breast, leg and thighs and place under a hot grill to crispen up the skin
-  Serve with your roast potatoes and a salad

ENJOY!!!!