Portuguese peri-peri chicken

In Cooking with Kim Bagley, Kim showcases her love for cooking in easy, heartwarming meals. Braai, oven-roast or pop this delicious Portuguese peri-peri chicken from her best-selling cookbook in the airfryer. Serve with a crisp salad, chips and Portuguese rolls.

Serves: 6 to 8
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

• 12 chicken pieces or 2 spatchcocked chickens
• 15 ml (1 Tbs) BBQ spice
• 15 ml (1 Tbs) Portuguese spice
• Peri-peri sauce
• 2 red peppers, seeded and halved vertically
• 1 red onion, quartered
• 1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
• 5 ml (1 tsp) coarse salt
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 60 ml (¼ cup) red wine vinegar
• 5-6 bird’s eye chillies, or according to taste
• 10 ml (2 tsp) smoked paprika
• 5 ml (1 tsp) dried basil
• 5 ml (1 tsp) dried oregano
• 5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
• 125 ml (½ cup) extra virgin olive oil
• 5 ml (1 tsp) salt, or to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 30 g salted butter
• 60 ml (¼ cup) fresh cream
• 5 ml (1 tsp) crushed dried chilies

1. Peri-peri sauce Spread out the red peppers, onion quarters and garlic bulb halves on a baking tray. Grind salt over and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

2. Place the vegetables directly over hot coals or place them on a baking tray into the oven at 220 °C and roast for 10 minutes, turning after 5 minutes. Remove from the coals or oven and place the red peppers and onion in a blender.

3. Squeeze the garlic into the blender. Add the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, bird’s eye chillies, paprika, basil, oregano, black pepper, olive oil and salt. Blend until smooth.

4. Transfer the sauce to a large pan or wide pot. Add the lemon zest, bay leaf and butter. Cook over a medium to low heat for 10 minutes then add the cream and dried chilli flakes.

5. Season the chicken with the BBQ and Portuguese spices. Cook according your preferred method (see below), basting the chicken with some of the peri-peri sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking. When cooked, remove from the heat and pour the remaining sauce over the chicken pieces.

COOKING OPTIONS

• Place over the coals and braai for 25 to 30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.
• Place in an air fryer and cook at 190 °C for 45 to 50 minutes, turning halfway through.
• Oven roast at 180 °C for 50 to 60 minutes.

NOTE
Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your chicken.