Nando's Chicken Thighs

5 from 1 vote

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

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Poultry

Cuisine: Portuguese

Servings: servings

Calories: 470kcal

Author: Adina

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

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C.
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 165°F/ 74°C.

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.
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.