Pri Pri Chicken – RTE Today
Pri Pri Chicken
Serves 5
Prep time: Approx 1 ½ hours plus marinating time
1 large Chicken about 1.5 to 2 kg
150 ml medium piri piri sauce – I make my own but you can use shop bought (my recipe is below)
550g potatoes – sliced
5 scallions – sliced
½ bunch coriander leaves
Preheat the oven to 200oC. Place the chicken breast side down on a chopping board. Using kitchen scissors or poultry sheers, cut along each side of the back bone and remove it. Turn the chicken so it is breast side up. Using the flat palm of your hand push the breast down to flatten out the bird. At this stage you can also remove the skin from the chicken if you wish. Pierce the legs and breasts with a knife. Place the chicken in a tray and coat with half of the piri piri sauce, making sure you rub it well in. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Using a clean roasting tray put the sliced potatoes on the bottom. Place the chicken on top and coat again with the remaining sauce. Place in the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour or until all the juices run clear from the thickest parts of the chicken. If you feel the chicken is browning too quickly you can cover with foil for part of the cooking time. Once cooked remove the chicken and cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 10-15 mins. Add 2/3’s of the sliced scallions and coriander to the potatoes and mix together. Place in your serving dish. Once the chicken has rested, carve into your portions and place on to your serving dish. Sprinkle with remaining scallions and coriander and serve. You could also serve with some lemon or lime wedges.
Wade’s Homemade Piri Piri Marinade:
4 red chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 red birds eye chillies, sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
25g parsley, no need to pick it, use stalks
2 lemons, juice and zest
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sea salt
Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until all ingredients are combined and you have a smooth paste. You can adjust the spice level to how hot you like it by adding or taking away more chillies.
Happy Cooking,
Wade