Piri piri chicken
Brian Lagerstrom · ♥ 9.2K likes · 306.3K views · 13 min video
Read about whole bird in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 1 whole whole chicken
Breast side down, cut up both sides of the spine with scissors and remove the back, then flip over and crack the breast bone so the bird lies flat.
- 25 g salt
- 12 g sugar
Mix the salt and sugar and dust the bird on both sides; set aside to dry brine.
- 150 g onion
- 250 g bell pepper
- 30 g garlic
- 15 g Thai chilies
- 10 g smoked paprika
- 15 g salt
- 30 g sugar
- 200 g olive oil
- 2 whole lemon zest
Into a food processor put onion, bell pepper, garlic, Thai chilies, smoked paprika, salt, sugar, olive oil, the zest of two lemons, the juice of two lemons and the white distilled vinegar.
Blending the piri piri marinade
- 45–50 g lemon juice
- 20 g white distilled vinegar
Spin to a loose chunky marinade, not a smooth sauce.
After 25 minutes of dry brining, brush half the marinade over the bird on both sides; reserve the other half in the fridge.
Marinate uncovered in the fridge at least four hours, preferably overnight, so the skin dries.
Roast at 285F for one hour 15 minutes, to an internal breast temperature of about 135 to 140F.
Brush liberally with reserved marinade, about a quarter cup.
Sauce again more lightly and roast another 10 to 15 minutes, rotating the bird in the last few minutes so nothing burns.
Pour the remaining marinade, about a cup and a half, into a sauce pan and reduce on the stove about 10 minutes to a thick jammy sauce and to sterilize it.
Brush the rested bird once more with the cooked sauce; breast about 165F and thigh about 175F after cooking.
- 6 whole chicken leg quarters
Variation, grilled: debone six leg quarters by slicing along the drumstick and thigh, nipping the meat free and cutting the bones out at the joint.
Deboning chicken leg quarters
- 20 g salt
- 10 g sugar
Variation: dry brine the deboned thighs on both sides with 20 g salt and 10 g sugar.
Variation: drench each piece in the same marinade, maybe three to four tablespoons per piece with a decent amount of the solids, and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Variation: preheat the grill and turn the burners to medium or medium low, hovering between 350 and 400F; oil the grates.
Setting up the grill
- pan spray or olive oil
Variation: lay the chicken skin side up, dab with marinade, lid down, three to five minutes.
Variation: flip onto the skin side, sauce the back, and cook another three to four minutes over medium.
Variation: sauce once more and grill slowly 10 to 15 minutes, flipping every three to five, to about 180F in the thigh.