• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Sweets
  • About
  • How To's

Where Is My Spoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Sweets
  • About
  • How To's
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Summer Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Sweets
    • About
    • How To's
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ร—
    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > Chicken and Turkey

    Nando's Chicken Thighs

    Last modified: Mar 7, 2023 ยท Published by Adina, Jan 23, 2021 ยท 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image with the title nando's chicken thighs.

    Nando's chicken thighs, a delicious piri piri/peri peri chicken, are an easy, homemade, spicy version of the popular restaurant dish.

    chicken thighs cooked in nando restaurant style on a plate.

    Nando's chicken thighs are marinated in a tasty piri piri sauce, giving them a nice kick of spice. Theyโ€™re crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, making them a flavorful choice for any meal.

    For more flavorful chicken recipes, check out Baked Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, Teriyaki Chicken Thighs in the Oven, Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs, or Sticky Honey Lime Chicken Thighs with Soy Sauce.

    Jump to recipe
    • What is Piri Piri Chicken?
    • Recipe ingredients
    • How to make Nando's chicken thighs?
    • How to serve Nando's chicken?
    • Store and reheat
    • More Nando-style recipes
    • Recipe
    • Nando's Chicken Thighs

    What is Piri Piri Chicken?

    A copycat of a famous restaurant dish: Nando's Peri Peri Chicken, a chain restaurant originating in South Africa.

    This dish uses peri peri sauce, a spicy marinade made from bird's eye chilies, garlic, and lemon. Originally from Portugal, it's known as piri piri in Portuguese and peri peri in South Africa. You can buy the sauce in small bottles, but a little goes a long way.

    Use it to make this Peri Peri Dip, for instance. Or try our easy-to-make, super-hot Peri Peri Seasoning. If you can't get the sauce, make this amazing Homemade Hot Peri Peri Sauce.

    Recipe ingredients

    The chicken: This recipe is typically made with a whole chicken, cut into pieces, marinated, and cooked. However, I used whole legs, splitting them into drumsticks and thighs, though you can use just thighs or drumsticks. I prefer thighs for their extra meat.

    The chilies: I used 4 regular red chilies, which are not very spicy, and added one Bird's eye chili for extra heat. It was hot enough for us, but you can adjust the number of Bird's eye chilies to your taste. If children arenโ€™t eating and you like spicy food, try using at least 2.

    See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

    nando's chicken, one thighs torn to show the flesh.

    How to make Nando's chicken thighs?

    Blend the ingredients for the marinade together, marinate the thighs for several hours or overnight, and bake. The result is utterly delicious meat, crispy and spicy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.

    Marinate the chicken

    Roughly chop all the ingredients and place them into a food processor. Process until you get a rough paste. Massage the paste into the meat, then cover the dish with cling film and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

    Cook Nando's chicken

    The original recipe is made on the barbecue, but since grilling only happens a few times each summer, itโ€™s not always an option for a quick family dinner.

    So, I use the oven instead, which is my favorite way to cook chicken. It's versatile, easy, and always a hit in our house - I've got plenty of recipes on the blog to back that up! Check out Oven-Baked Chicken Thighs, Honey Mustard Chicken Legs, or Roasted Chicken with Vegetables.

    To cook Nando's chicken thighs perfectly, all you have to do is place the marinated pieces on a baking tray and bake them for about 45-50 minutes or until the juices run clear.

    Remember to baste the meat with the marinade and juices from the tray every 15 minutes or so.

    How to serve Nando's chicken?

    Serve immediately with any kind of side dish you like. Perfect would be Simple Buttered Rice or any simple rice dish.

    Rice and White Cabbage Salad or Purple Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw would be nice, as would any kind of potato, such as Polenta Potatoes. You could serve the tighs the way the Portuguese serve them: with fries and lettuce, tomato and onion salad.

    Store and reheat

    Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm it in the oven at 180ยฐC (350ยฐF) for about 15 minutes or until heated through.

    You can also freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat well before serving.

    spicy peri peri chicken thighs on a platter with a fork and parsley.

    More Nando-style recipes

    • black plate with nando's spicy rice.
      Nandoโ€™s Spicy Rice
    • nando's butterfly chicken breast served with roasted potato wedges and peri peri dip.
      Nando's Butterfly Chicken Breast
    • spicy peri peri chicken livers on a small vintage platter.
      Peri Peri Chicken Livers
    • peri peri sauce on a small plate on a black background.
      Hot Peri Peri Sauce

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Donโ€™t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!

    Recipe

    nando's chicken thighs sprinkled with parsley.

    Nando's Chicken Thighs

    Delicious piri piri/ peri peri chicken, or Nando's chicken thighs, an easy homemade spicy version of the popular restaurant dish.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Poultry
    Cuisine: Portuguese
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 470kcal
    Author: Adina

    Equipment

    • Large ceramic bowl or ceramic/glass baking dish
    • Large baking sheet
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    • 4 chicken thighs Note 1
    • 4 chicken drumsticks
    • 4 red chilies Note 2
    • 1-2 Bird's eye chilies
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 3 green onions
    • 3 tablespoon parsley chopped
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 2 teaspoons flaked sea salt
    • 5 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil

    Instructions

    Marinate chicken thighs:

    • Chop chilies: Remove the chili seeds (or leave them for extra heat), roughly chop the chilies, and place them in a food processor.
      4 red chilies + 1-2 Bird's eye chilies
    • Make the marinade: Roughly chop the garlic and green onions. Add them to the food processor together with the parsley, torn bay leaves, ground coriander, sweet paprika, sugar, salt, lemon juice, and olive oil. Process until you obtain a rough paste.
      4 garlic cloves + 3 green onions + 3 tablespoon parsley + 2 bay leaves + 1 teaspoon ground coriander + 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder + 1 teaspoon sugar + 2 teaspoons flaked sea salt + 5 tablespoons lemon juice + 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • Marinate the chicken: Place the chicken parts in a large ceramic or glass casserole dish. Add the peri peri sauce and massage it well into the chicken. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
      4 chicken thighs + 4 chicken drumsticks

    Cook Nando's chicken:

    • Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400ยฐF/ 200ยฐC.
    • Roast chicken: Place the pieces on a large, lightly oiled baking sheet, skin side up. Roast for 40 to 50 minutes, basting with the pan juices and marinade every 15 minutes.
    • Check doneness: Make a small cut into the thickest part of the chicken leg, near the bone - if the juices are clear and the flesh white with no hint of pink or red, it's done. The internal temperature measured with an instant-read thermometer should be 165ยฐF/ 74ยฐC.

    Notes

    1. Chicken: You can either use a whole chicken cut into 8 parts, 4 chicken quarters divided into thighs and drumsticks at the joint, or 8 chicken thighs.
    2. Regarding the red chilies, the ones I used weren't particularly hot. However, Bird's eye chilies are quite spicy, so I only used 1. Adjust the quantity of chilies based on your preference and how much heat you prefer.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2pieces | Calories: 470kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 649mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1402IU | Vitamin C: 79mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

    More Our Favorite Chicken and Turkey Recipes

    • chicken with cherries and a few sprigs of thyme in a cast iron skillet.
      Crispy Chicken with Cherries
    • chardonnay chicken, lime slices and fresh thyme in a cast iron skillet.
      Creamy Chardonnay Chicken
    • chicken with paprika marinade, one sliced on a plate with leeks.
      Paprika Chicken Marinade
    • chicken orzo bake in a round dutch oven.
      Chicken Orzo Bake

    Sharing is caring!

    550 shares
    • Share
    • Reddit
    • X

    web banner representing all the websites logos that featured our food blog.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. john says

      January 06, 2022 at 9:25 pm

      Why is there no mention of oven temperature?

      Reply
      • Adina says

        January 08, 2022 at 3:48 pm

        Of course, there is. Step 4 in the instructions: 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

        Reply
    2. mjskitchen says

      January 23, 2021 at 11:47 pm

      What a mouthful of flavor with every bite. This sounds and looks delicious!

      Reply
    3. Kelly | Foodtasia says

      December 07, 2019 at 1:54 pm

      Such a delicious marinade, Adina! Love the flavors. I'm sure the whole family would be crazy about it!

      Reply
    4. Foodido says

      November 09, 2018 at 8:09 am

      Its not South African. It was created by Portuguese settlers in Mozambique. Nandos is South African.

      Reply
    5. Sissi says

      June 20, 2018 at 5:40 pm

      I've never had piri piri chicken either and like you have heard about it so many times... It's been on my tasting list for my first trip to Portugal (not even planned yet!), but your chicken looks soo good I might try your recipe and make it at home first!

      Reply
      • Adina says

        June 22, 2018 at 3:34 pm

        It is really a no fuss recipe, Sissi, you should definitely make it yourself.

        Reply
    6. angiesrecipes says

      June 19, 2018 at 5:28 am

      Very very delicious! I need to make this soon!

      Reply
    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

    More about me โ†’

    Elderflower Recipes

    • elderflower jelly with apple juice in a small jar.
      Elderflower Jelly (or Jam) Recipe
    • a small bottle of elderflower syrup, half a lemon and a bunch of elderflowers in a vase.
      Elderflower Syrup Recipe
    • elderflower gin cocktail in a long glass, lemon and flowers around it.
      Elderflower Gin Cocktail
    • elderflower champagne in a glass with lemon slices and flowers around it.
      Non-Alcoholic Elderflower Champagne (Elderflower Juice)

    Popular Recipes

    • air fryer frozen chicken breast after cooking, one whole and one sliced piece.
      Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer
    • juicy, golden brown brats cooked on the stove in a skillet.
      How to Cook Brats on the Stove
    • lifting one piece of baked chicken breast with a spoon.
      How to Bake Frozen Chicken Breast
    • stapled sliced pork belly slices sprinkled with parsley, pool of fat in the back.
      How to Cook Pork Belly Strips

    Footer

    โ†‘ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Contact

    If you have any questions or want to work with me, please email me @ contact@whereismyspoon.co

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright ยฉ 2025 - Where Is My Spoon. All rights reserved.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.