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Yields:
4 - 6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
4 hrs 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
1144
Piri piri chicken is marinated in a spicy and citrusy sauce. Piri piri means “chile” in Swahili, specifically the African bird’s-eye chile traditionally used, but hard to find in the U.S. Fresno chiles work well—they are vibrant, fruity, and not too spicy. Feel free to use any fresh chiles, but adjust the quantity based on how hot they are. We spatchcock our whole chicken, removing the backbone and flattening it, to cut back on roasting time. Also, each part of the chicken cooks to perfection at the same time. Spatchcocking instructions are below–you’ll need your bird, sharp kitchen shears and a large cutting board.
Note: Fight the temptation to keep opening the grill–you’ll let the heat out! Also, get your bird to room temp before throwing it on the grill. Otherwise, it’ll just take a wee-bit longer to cook through.
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Ingredients
- 1
whole chicken, about 5 pounds
- 1/2 cup
extra-virgin olive oil
- 8
Fresno chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 6
cloves garlic, peeled
- 1
1" piece fresh ginger
- 1 Tbsp.
paprika
- 1 Tbsp.
agave
- 1 3/4 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1 tsp.
freshly ground black pepper
Zest and juice of 2 limes
Directions
To Spatchcock The Chicken:
- Step 1On a cutting board, place chicken breast-side down. Hold chicken firmly with one hand. Using kitchen shears, cut down one side of the backbone from tail to neck. You may need the strength of both hands on the shears to get through some parts. Repeat by cutting the other side of the backbone, removing it completely.
- Step 2Flip the chicken so the breast-side is now facing up. Place the palm of your hand on top of the breasts and press down firmly (use your body weight on it) until it lies flat. Your chicken is now spatchcocked.
For The Piri Piri Sauce:
- Step 1In a blender, add olive oil, Fresno chiles, garlic, ginger, paprika, agave, salt, pepper, and lime juice and zest. Blend until smooth.
- Step 2Pour about 1 cup of the sauce into a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the Chicken:
- Step 1In a large bowl, add chicken and remaining piri piri sauce, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2-12 hours. Remove chicken from fridge one hour before cooking to bring to room temperature.
- Step 2For a gas grill, set half of grill to medium-high heat. For a charcoal grill, place the lit charcoal evenly over one-half side. Cover grill and preheat for 10 minutes.
- Step 3Oil grates and lay chicken skin-side up over the cool side of the grill (where the burner is off/there is no charcoal). Cover grill and cook for about 50 minutes, until the juices between the leg and the thigh run clear or a thermometer inserted into the thigh reads 165°.
- Step 4Carefully flip chicken skin-side down over the hot side of the grill (where the burner is on/there is charcoal). Cook for about 5 minutes, until the skin is charred and crisp.
- Step 5Transfer onto platter, skin-side up. Let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving with reserved piri piri sauce.
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