chicken peri-peri

Ingredients

1 large whole fresh chicken or chicken pieces (such as skinless thighs, drumsticks, wings
and sliced breasts)
lemon wedges to serve
Piri Piri Marinade
4 large red chillies, deseeded and chopped
2 birdseye chillies sliced (these are hot, prepare with caution use disposable gloves)
1 tbsp garlic puree from a jar or tube or 4 large cloves crushed or finely chopped
1 tsp sea salt or salt flakes
1tsp sugar
½ tsp oregano
1tsp smoked paprika hot or sweet (depending how you like it)
pinch of coriander seeds and cumin seeds
1tbsp olive oil
50m white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lemon or 2 limes
Instructions
To make the marinade, put all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until
everything is well mixed and chopped up small.
To have a traditional style piri piri chicken you will need to spatchcock the chicken, this
is fairly easy here is how to.
You need to remove the backbone but the chicken is still left whole. Turn the bird on to
its breast and carefully cut either side of the backbone with good scissors or poultry
shears. Discard the bone. Cut off the foot joints and wing tips. Open the chicken out and
place it on the board so the breast side is facing upwards. Press down heavily with the
palms of your hands to break the breastbone and flatten the chicken as evenly as
possible. This will help it cook more quickly. Don’t worry if you can’t press hard enough
to break the breastbone – as long as the chicken looks flat, it will cook evenly. Using a
sharp knife, slash through the thickest parts of the legs and breasts.
Spoon over all the marinade and really massage it into both sides of the chicken,
ensuring that every bit of it is well coated. Cover the dish with cling film and leave the
chicken to marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or ideally overnight. If using chicken
pieces slash all over and place in a large food bag and pour in the marinade and leave for
at least 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven 180c. Take the chicken out of the dish and place it on a rack inside a
large baking tray, breast-side up. Roast for 50–60 minutes until lightly browned and
cooked through. The juices should run clear when the thickest part of a thigh is pierced
with a skewer. Cover the chicken loosely with foil and leave it to rest for 10 minutes
before carving. If using chicken pieces simply roast in a large roasting tin for 20-30
minutes.
Serve with spiced wedges or spicy rice, salad and sour cream dip and lemon wedges!