Peri Peri (Piri Piri) Chicken Help

[Shel_B]

While I've heard of this chicken dish, I've never tried making a version nor have I looked into various recipes and techniques to make it.  Yesterday, a friend asked if I could make it for her and I poked around for ideas.  I couldn't find much - only a couple-three recipes that looked like the direction I wanted to explore. Most offered just putting a sauce (often bottled) on already roasted chicken. Some offered a recipe to make a sauce, also to put on already roasted chicken.

 

Two or three allowed for making a marinade for the chicken, and then roasting the bird after marinating. This is the direction I'd like to take.

 

These are the two recipes that interest me the most:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNw1rkjuwwk&pp=0gcJCY0JAYcqIYzv

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38AMhDfhuYY

 

Of the two, were I to follow the recipes as made, I'm inclined to follow the first recipe in part because of the early brining of the bird and because the timing of the cooking and the technique used seems to offer a more succulent result and eliminates the heavy charing on the chicken.

 

For those who've made the dish (not just poured sauce over a roasted bird), perhaps you can comment on these recipes and offer some suggestions based on your experience. This is a dish I'd like to experiment with and learn to make well.

 

Edited May 26 by Shel_B
Clarity of intent (log)

[gulfporter]

I brought a bunch of these back from Portugal.   Maybe you can find  in US?  Or search for recipe to make your own spice mix??

 

[Shel_B]

23 minutes ago, gulfporter said:

I brought a bunch of these back from Portugal.   Maybe you can find  in US?  Or search for recipe to make your own spice mix??

 

Thanks for the tip. I have access to the fresh birds eye chilies and have several recipes to make the marinade, two of which are shown in the videos I linked.  I wanted to post the recipes but I understand that there might be copyright concerns. I'm fine wrt ingredients. I'm really looking for comment on these recipes and perhaps some suggestions based on one's experience making the dish.

[blue_dolphin]

I’ve only made Smitten Kitchen’s version which does use a homemade marinade before grilling but perhaps didn’t appeal to you. I liked that she provides cooking instructions for both the traditional grill and an oven-roasted version (which I used) and I was happy with the results. 

[Shel_B]

4 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

I’ve only made Smitten Kitchen’s version which does use a homemade marinade before grilling but perhaps didn’t appeal to you. I liked that she provides cooking instructions for both the traditional grill and an oven-roasted version (which I used) and I was happy with the results. 

Wasn't aware of her version. I'll take a look.

 

When working on developing and learning a recipe, I like to look at many optios. Muchto be learned that way. Thanks for the pointer.

[blue_dolphin]

25 minutes ago, Shel_B said:

When working on developing and learning a recipe, I like to look at many optios. Muchto be learned that way. Thanks for the pointer.

In the interest of research, this is not the same thing, but I quite liked David Leite's peri-peri shrimp. He has a recipe for peri-peri chicken in his book, The New Portuguese Table and both use the same sauce in the marinade.  When I made it, I used a mix of fresh red chilies: Thai birds eye, arbol and Fresno (aka red jalapeño.) I liked the mix of heat from the birds eye and arbol plus the fruitiness from the Fresno. Something to consider if it suits you. 

[Shel_B]

17 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

In the interest of research, this is not the same thing, but I quite liked David Leite's peri-peri shrimp. He has a recipe for peri-peri chicken in his book, The New Portuguese Table and both use the same sauce in the marinade.  When I made it, I used a mix of fresh red chilies: Thai birds eye, arbol and Fresno (aka red jalapeño.) I liked the mix of heat from the birds eye and arbol plus the fruitiness from the Fresno. Something to consider if it suits you. 

I'll take a look at the linked recipe. I found a couple of links to Leite's Peri Peri chicken recipe(s) and have cataloged them for future reading and notes. It will be interesting to see how they compare to the shrimp recipe you linked.

 

I'm so glad for your contribution here. 👍

Edited May 27 by Shel_B (log)

[haresfur]

I just marinate boneless chicken thighs in bottled peri-peri marinade overnight. More surface area than bone-in. Beerenberg if I can find it, otherwise the ubiquitous Nando's (chain restaurant who also sell their sauce and marinade in grocery stores). Put on a wire rack in the convection oven and blast at oh, 210 degrees until done. I like the char.

[Shel_B]

3 minutes ago, haresfur said:

I just marinate boneless chicken thighs in bottled peri-peri marinade overnight. More surface area than bone-in. Beerenberg if I can find it, otherwise the ubiquitous Nando's (chain restaurant who also sell their sauce and marinade in grocery stores). Put on a wire rack in the convection oven and blast at oh, 210 degrees until done. I like the char.

Are you suggesting I use your technique?

[haresfur]

1 minute ago, Shel_B said:

Are you suggesting I use your technique?

 

Absolutely. I make the best sleazy at-home fast food. If you can't be bothered to clean a rack, put on baking paper on a tray but it gets a bit soggy.

 

Do what you like. Cook lower if you don't want char.

[Shel_B]

@haresfur thanks for your suggestion.  It's not what I'm seeking now as I want to make my own marinade, but y'know, there's always a time and a place for a quick and easy technique. I can get the Beerenberg sauce here easily enough, and it might be nice to try it. 

Edited May 28 by Shel_B
edited content (log)

[jedovaty]

Hey, since it's been a couple weeks already, have you tried it at all?  I'm like you and before I make something relatively new to me, I look at a bunch of recipes to study and become more familiar with it before actually making it.  I will generally settle either on one or a mix of one that works for my tastes.  If there are techniques new to me, I'll try a few of them over the course of a couple weeks.

 

I have made this dish before, however, it was with bottled sauce from Trader Joe's (not sure they carry it anymore?) a few years back. It was okay.  I tried chicken, pork, and fish (first two used as marinade, second as a dipping sauce).  It was too overwhelming and I didn't taste the proteins in any.  However, the BL video crossed my sites a few days ago before seeing your post here, so I've been considering trying it with different protein (maybe shrimp or tempeh).  The second video was interesting, if a bit cringe.

 

Not many here have posted comments on the specifics of the two recipes, so hopefully sharing my thoughts would be helpful.  My personal preference would lean towards BL's video.. he's not smothering the thing in smoked paprika before applying the marinade.  To my tastes, that would overwhelm the rest of the flavors, and probably taste like an ashtray.  I've had that brand smoked paprika powder he is using, and it tastes like an ashtray to me (one of my exes was a smoker so I know what it tastes like yuuuuuuuck).  BL's recipe additionally uses a small mix of peppers, rather than just fresno.  I don't like the second video's stovetop pressing technique. 

 

I don't know why people remove the backbone when spatchcocking chicken, that has such a great bit of skin and little bits of meat it's a chef's treat once it is grilled up.

 

Consider both recipes at the same time if you haven't already, half chicken on one, half on the other (whether using whole or pieces or whatever), roast/grill/pan fry both up.  The BL technique is similar to BBQ chicken with the basting.

 

I'll probably try this recipe next week, and here's what I plan to do: I'll use a few peppers (sweet peppers, aji amarillo, and a little calabrian growing in my garden).  Onion instead of shallot.  Lemon and lime together.  Considering subbing some hotsauce instead of vinegar since I am out of vinegar and don't like smoked paprika. Grilling outside.  If I were doing a protein that needs more than 10 minutes, I would throw a small chunk of wood between the flames to add smoke, but shrimp, fish, and tempeh cook so fast that won't really do much so will skip it.  I will, however, drop some left-over marinade into a hot pan to simulate the caramelization from basting.

 

Let us know what you've done, I am curious

 

Edited yesterday at 02:00 PM by jedovaty (log)

[Shel_B]

Thus far, I've played with several spice blends and even tried one on a chicken thigh.  I tend to progress slowly. I may try a bottled sauce to use as a reference point. Nando has come up as a good choice. The site Chili Pepper Madness has a recipe that I'd like to look into further. I've only superficially looked at it.

 

I agree that Brian's recipe appears to be a good choice, and just on the surface I prefer it to the other. The paprika issue is one thing in Brian's favor and the other is how he salted the bird: heavily and early.  I like mixing pepper types, and generally do regardless of what a recipe may suggest. I treat dried and fresh peppers as separate ingredients, IOW, I may use a dried and fresh version of the same pepper in a recipe. The dried may get added along with the soffrito and get bloomed in the cooking oil while the fresh can also be used in the soffrito, but just as often in a marinade or sauce.

 

I don't remember what brand of paprika That Dude Can Cook used, but over the years I've developed my own preferences and have learned (but not yet tried) how to make my own. Rachel Cooks With Love has provided some ideas on how to work with chili powder, and her videos are peaceul and easy going, quite different than those from TDCC.  She's mostly Tex-Mex oriented, and she's provided ideas for shortcuts and prepared ingredients.

 

I like some of your ideas. Instead of vinegar I've also used the liquid from various hot sauces in its place.  I use pickled jalapanos frequently, and when the pepper slices are gone there's usually a lot of juice left.  I'll sometimes use that instead of another acid in various recipes. I like it in tuna salad instead of the more "traditional" lemon juice.  

 

https://www.mezzetta.com/products/deli-sliced-hot-jalapea-o-peppers?

 

They offer a milder version and a diced version, which works great as a substitute for relish in some situations.

 

Thanks for your comments. Useful and entertaining