Fiery, flavorful, and finger-licking good—there’s really only one way to eat piri piri chicken, and that’s with your hands.
1 hr 30 mins total time
30 mins active time
Medium
Serves 4
Ingredients
Measurements:
2 shallots
peeled, quartered
5 large red chilies
deseeded, coarsely chopped
2 habanero peppers
deseeded, coarsely chopped
10 cloves garlic
peeled
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
½ cup (4 fl oz) red wine vinegar
⅓ cup (2¾ fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
4½ lb whole chicken
¼ cup (¼ oz) cilantro leaves
coarsely chopped
Instructions
1Place the shallots, chilies, garlic, salt, paprika and vinegar in a blender and blend until smooth. With the motor on, add the oil in a thin stream to emulsify.
Tip: For a hotter sauce, leave the chili seeds in.
2Using kitchen shears, cut along each side of the backbone, remove and discard. Snip the top of the breastbone and open out to flatten.
3Place the chicken in a large resealable bag, pour over the sauce, seal and massage to coat. Chicken can be cooked straight away or refrigerated overnight.
4Insert the wire rack into position 6. Select Phase Cook for P1 and set the oven to Roast, Super Convection, 360°F, for 55 minutes. Press Confirm for P2 and set the oven to Broil, Low, for 5 minutes and press Start to preheat. Meanwhile, continue to the next step.
5Place the chicken skin side up in the roasting pan. Squeeze the sauce over the top and cover with foil.
6Once preheated, place the pan in the oven and roast for 55 minutes in P1. The oven will automatically switch to P2.
7To test if the chicken is ready, insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part, away from the bone, it should read a minimum of 165°F. If not, broil a little longer.
Tip: The size of the chicken can alter the cooking time. For best results, test for doneness 3-5 minutes before the end of the cook.
8Rest the chicken for 10 minutes before cutting into pieces. Reserve the sauce in the pan.
9Spoon the reserved sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with cilantro and serve.