Peri Peri Chicken (Homemade Nando's Recipe)

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Why not make your favourite Nando's Chicken at home! This easy Peri Peri Chicken has all the flavour you know and love from Nando's but much cheaper. It's simple to make and cooks in 40 minutes - you can even cook it on the BBQ too. Spice up your meals times with this flaming hot chicken!

We love recreating our favourite restaurant meals at home. Not only are they cheaper to make yourself, but healthier too because you can control exact what does in to it. Nando's has soared in popularity in recent years, and it's no wonder with their deliciously spicy chicken. Serve with some rice, bread and salad for a homemade version of Nandos.

Why should you try it?

✔ Cheaper and healthier version of Nandos

✔ Cooks in just 40 minutes

✔ An easy Peri Peri marinade

✔ Great for batch cooking

How To Make Peri Peri Chicken - step by step:

One: Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Watch our web story for a quick how-to on making this Peri Peri Chicken.

What is Peri Peri?

Peri Peri is actually a chilli, and it's also known as the African bird's eye chilli. We think of peri peri as the actual sauce or seasoning, but the chillies are mixed with garlic, salt, paprika and herb to make the seasoning and then mixed in to olive oil, lemon and vinegar to make the sauce. Some people call it Piri Piri, but Peri Peri is what we are more used to in the UK.

Most people think that Nando's is Portuguese, because of the chicken symbol that is associated with Portugal I guess, but it is actually South African, and that is where all their chillies are grown.

Peri Peri Marinade

This recipe really is all about the homemade Peri Peri marinade and it couldn't be more simple. We took some lemon juice and olive oil and mixed it with chilli flakes, paprika, garlic, oregano, parsley and basil and seasoned with salt and pepper. So easy, but packs a serious flavour punch.

How Spicy Is It?

Peri Peri chicken has a proper kick to it, but that's the whole point of it really. It has plenty of flavour too, so it isn't just about the spice. But the spice is important. I am guessing if you don't like spicy food, then you wouldn't have found your way to this recipe.

If you are making it for people that don't love spicy food, then you could either use less chillies in the recipe, or make sure you have a creamy and cooling dip on the side to take some of the edge off.

Do I Have To Marinade it First?

You don't have to, but I would say it certainly helps. Leave it for a couple of hours if you can, but at least 30 minutes before cooking at least. The longer you can marinade it, the better it will taste, so go overnight if possible.

What Chicken To Use

We used chicken thighs (skin on and bone in) in this recipe, as they are nice and juicy. But, you could use drumsticks, breast or even do a whole chicken with this seasoning on. Cooking times will vary depending on what kind of chicken you are using though, so make sure to use a thermometer to check it is cooked.

How To Serve Peri Peri Chicken

Anyone that has been to Nando's will know just how many sides they have on offer, and we do like a side dish.  I would go with a classic fries, corn and slaw combo to compliment this chicken. Why not try our Garlic Potato Wedges, Mexican Coleslaw and Grilled Corn with Herb Butter. If you want to serve it with rice, like we have, then try our Easy Spanish Rice.

Extra Tips:

• This recipe uses 2 tsp of chilli flakes. If you don't like a lot of spice, reduce it to 1 tsp.
• Make your own Nando's sauce by taking all the same seasonings in this recipe again and mixing it with some lemon juice, more oil and some vinegar until the desired consistency.
• We used chicken thighs, but you can use drumsticks, breasts or even a whole chicken.
• Try to marinade it overnight if you can, but at least 30 minutes in the fridge if you don't have a lot of time.
• To make sure the chicken has reached the desired internal temperature, we used this Thermapen. ^(aff)

Want to try some other chicken recipes? How about these:

Easy Italian Chicken
Chicken Kiev
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken
Cajun Chicken Burger
Grilled Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!

Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - we love sharing photos when people make our recipes. You can use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

DON’T FORGET TO RATE THE RECIPE ↓

Peri Peri Chicken (Homemade Nando's Recipe)

Add lots of flavour, without loads of extra calories, and give this zingy Peri Peri chicken recipe a try.

Low Carb

4.58 from 126 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Barbecue, Portuguese

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Marinating time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Allergen:

Meat

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 166kcal

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Ingredients

• ▢ 8 Chicken thighs

Marinade

• ▢ 1 Lemon (juice only)
• ▢ 2 tbsp Olive oil
• ▢ 2 tsp Paprika
• ▢ 2 tsp Chilli flakes (less if you don't like too spicy, but I didn't find it too spicy)
• ▢ 2 cloves Garlic crushed
• ▢ 2 tsp Dried oregano
• ▢ 2 tsp Dried basil
• ▢ 2 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
• ▢ 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

• Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
• Put the chicken in to a large bowl and add the marinade. Mix well. Put in the fridge for 30-60 minutes so the chicken marinates.
• Put in a baking dish or onto a baking sheet.
• Put in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 and bake for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (reached an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F)

Notes

• This recipe uses 2 tsp of chilli flakes. If you don't like a lot of spice, reduce it to 1 tsp.
• Make your own Nando's sauce by taking all the same seasonings in this recipe again and mixing it with some lemon juice, more oil and some vinegar until the desired consistency.
• We used chicken thighs, but you can use drumsticks, breasts or even a whole chicken.
• Try to marinade it overnight if you can, but at least 30 minutes in the fridge if you don't have a lot of time.
• To make sure the chicken has reached the desired internal temperature, we used this Thermapen. ^(aff)

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1chicken thigh | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 335mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 510IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg

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DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

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