Portuguese Peri Peri Chicken

Hi

I learnt this dish from Daniela Romeo, a young Portuguese lady at International Cooking Club Singapore Limited, which I was accepted into the club through my friend, Cecilia Yap for Friday evening group.

The last meeting, which I attended was hosted by Daniela.  She prepared 6 Portuguese dishes for 9 of us.  There were so much fun and lots of laughter while we were helping up in preparation of dishes.  It was an awesome evening where we got to experience the authentic Portuguese dinner together and had fellowship.

I particularly like this dish so I decided to cook for my family.  A great recipe for an authentic Portuguese chicken.  It’s utterly delicious and very easy to make.  I grilled the chicken a little longer to create a nice and crisp ‘burnt’ on the outside skin.  Of course, the chicken is best done over a flame charcoal but for not having an outdoor grill in my humble apartment, I baked it in the oven instead and the chicken came out great too.

HAPPY COOKING!

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp        Olive oil

4-10 pcs    Bird’s eye chilli depends on the heat level of your choice [I used 6 pcs of normal chilli]

4 cloves     Garlic, or 1.5 tbsp garlic powder for a thicker

                   consistency

¼ cup       Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp        Paprika

1 pce          Bay leaf

1 tsp           Oregano

1 tsp           Sea salt

½ tsp        Pepper [I used freshly grated black pepper]

1                 Chicken - in butterfly cut style

                   Extra sea salt, optional

METHOD

(1)In a blender combine everything except the chicken and the extra salt, blend until very smooth.

 (2)Score chicken legs with a knife a few times.  [I overlooked this part]

(3)Pour 1/3 cup of the sauce over chicken and toss well.  I sprinkle a few dishes of extra salt on top of chicken.  Marinade the chicken at least 1 hour or overnight.

 (4)Grill or bake it.  To bake, preheat the oven to 220◦C.

(5)Place the chicken on a baking pan lined with foil, spray with oil, and place chicken.  Bake for 15 minutes, turn over, baste with extra sauce, and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked and browned.