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Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken

Name: Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 2 h 40 min
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: boneless chicken — 1361 g; fresh red chile pepper — 400 g; garlic — 18 g; lemon juice — 59 g; red wine vinaigrette — 59 g; olive oil — 73 g; smoked paprika — 30 g; dried leaf oregano — 4 g; salt — 5 g; freshly ground black pepper — 3 g; bay — 2 g; unsalted butter — 27 g; lemon — 65 g

Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken reads citrus 7.0, sourness 7.0 and richness 5.0 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Portuguese main, about 2 hr 40 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 4.8 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.4 / 10
Sour & Bright — 9.1 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 4.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.4 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.2 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 7.0 · Sourness 7.0 · Richness 5.0 · Fruity 4.7 · Smoke 4.3 · Umami 4.2 · Salinity 4.1 · Allium 3.7 · Sweetness 2.4 · Heat 2.2 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Bitterness 1.7 · Herbaceous 1.7 · Funk & Ferment 1.5 · Nutty 1.3 · Earthy 1.3 · Floral 1.2

What's in it (13)

boneless chicken — 1361 g
fresh red chile pepper — 400 g
garlic — 18 g
lemon juice — 59 g
red wine vinaigrette — 59 g
olive oil — 73 g
smoked paprika — 30 g
dried leaf oregano — 4 g
salt — 5 g
freshly ground black pepper — 3 g
bay — 2 g
unsalted butter — 27 g
lemon — 65 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 40 min (35 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 111.4 kcal, 20.2 g protein, 3.2 g fat, 2.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

In a blender or food processor, combine the chiles, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, smoked paprika, oregano, 1 tsp salt, pepper, and bay leaf; puree until smooth, about 1 minute, to make the peri-peri marinade.
Pat the chicken thighs and drumsticks dry and cut 2-3 shallow slashes through the skin of each piece, just into the meat, so the marinade can penetrate and the fat renders cleanly on the grill.
Set aside 1/2 cup of the marinade in a covered container in the fridge to use for basting; pour the rest over the chicken in a large bowl or zip-top bag, turn to coat every piece, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 8.
About 30 minutes before grilling, pull the chicken out to take the chill off, and heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium (350-375F), banking the coals to one side or leaving one burner off to create a cooler indirect zone.
Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and discard the used marinade; set the pieces skin-side down over the direct heat and grill undisturbed until the skin is deeply charred and releases easily from the grates, 6-7 minutes.
Flip the chicken and move it to the indirect side of the grill; cover and cook, basting every 5 minutes with the reserved marinade, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165F in the thickest part of a thigh, 20-25 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a platter, brush with the melted butter, and let rest 5 minutes so the juices settle back into the meat.
Squeeze a lemon wedge over the chicken and serve the remaining wedges alongside.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Sheet-Pan Tandoori Chicken Thighs — Indian
Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowls with Garlic Sauce — Middle Eastern
Chicken Shawarma Grain Bowls with Pickled Onions — Middle Eastern
Ground Turkey Shawarma Skillet — Middle Eastern
Cazón en Adobo — Spanish · Andalusia

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.