Grilled piri-piri chicken
Ingredients
- 8 small, fresh Thai red peppers, seeded and cut into 6 pieces
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into 2 lengthwise
- 20 ml (4 tsp) sea salt
- 250 ml (1 cup) olive oil
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) sweet paprika
- 20 ml (4 tsp) dried oregano
- 5 ml (1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 2 whole chickens, about 1.5 kg (1 1/2 lb), flattened (cut along both sides of the backbone)
Preparation
- Place the peppers, garlic and salt in a mortar.
- Crush into a smooth paste. Add some oil if needed.
- Place the pepper mixture in a bowl and add the remaining marinade ingredients. Stir well and set aside.
- Place the chickens in a large non-reactive dish and pour in the marinade.
- Cover and refrigerate. Marinate for 6 to 8 hours, turning several times.
- Preheat one side of the barbecue to high heat and the other side to low.
- Place a roasting pan under the grill on the low-heat side.
- Remove the chickens from the dish. Reserve the marinade to baste the chicken during grilling.
- Place the chickens, skin side up, on the low-heat side.
- Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- To ensure even cooking, move the chickens around the low-heat side of the grill with a spatula, without flipping them.
- Brush liberally with the marinade.
- Close the barbecue lid and cook for another 20 minutes.
- Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. The chickens will be done when the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F) or more.
- To crisp the skin, transfer the chickens to the high-heat side, skin side down.
- Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the chickens, place them on a cutting board and sprinkle with salt.
- Brush with the marinade.
- Let the chickens rest for about 5 minutes. Cut into halves or quarters.
- Serve the chicken with a salad or french fries.

