Slow Cookbook Recipe No. 16
PIRI-PIRI CHICKEN – a classic Portuguese dish Piri-piri chicken is a spicy dish with roots in both Africa and Portugal. The dish was created in Angola and Mozambique when Portuguese settlers arrived with chili peppers (known as piri-piri in Swahili). Ingredients 2 chickens salt to tatse freshly ground pepper 100 g butter 1 tsp sugar ½ bunch of chopped mint ½ bunch of chopped coriander For the piri-piri sauce: 6 to 12 red chilies, depending on how hot you want it 1 tbsp garlic chopped and poached 1 tsp sea salt 100ml extra virgin olive oil 50ml red wine vinegar Preparation of the Piri-Piri Sauce. Preheat the oven to 180°C Place the chilies in a roasting tray and roast them for 10 minutes. Cool and roughly the chop the chilies. Place the chilies, garlic, salt, olive oil and vinegar in a saucepan, bring to the simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Allow to cool, then blend to a puree in a blender or food processor. Store in a lidded container at room temperature; it will keep for about a month. Shake before using. Preparation of chicken: Place the chickens in a sealable plastic bag. Add in half the piri-piri sauce, spreading it evenly over the chickens. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Preheat a large griddle pan. Season the marinated chicken with salt and freshly pepper. Cook the chicken on the griddle pan for 2-3 minutes on each side, until golden brown on each side. Transfer the griddled chicken to a roasting tray and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until cooked through. A delicious alternative to roasting the chicken is to barbeque it on the grill. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add in the sugar and the remaining piri-piri sauce and heat through gently, stirring now and then. Keep the sauce warm and just before serving stir in the mint and coriander. To serve: Cut the chicken into portions and toss with the mint and coriander sauce.
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