Per-pier chicken is a Portuguese dish or barbecued chicken in a spicy marinade made with peri-peri (piri-piri) or African birds’ eye chillies. It was the Portuguese who brought these fiery but small chillies to Africa where they thrived and essentially became wild. The Portuguese also brought the recipe for peri-peri chicken to all their colonies. This recipe is the Mozambican version of this classic dish. This recipe calls for peri-peri sauce. If you don’t have any to hand, you can make a quick version by blending 3 ripe tomatoes with 8 peri-peri (African birds’ eye) chillies.
Prep time: 20 minutes/Cook time: 25 minutes/Serves: 6 (+1 hour marinating)
Ingredients:
For Peri Peri sauce:
6 Chicken legs
12 piri-piri (African birds’ eye) Chilies
10 Garlic cloves
2 Onions (1 red, one brown)
juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 red bell pepper
2 Tablespoon all purpose seasoning
1 Tablespoon salt
120ml (1/2 cup) Vegetable oil
80ml (1/3 cup) Vinegar
Ingredients For the Peri-peri Rice:
2 tbsp garlic. minced
80ml (1/3 cup) Oil
200ml (4/5 cup) Peri-peri sauce
1 Onion, finely chopped
90g (1 cup) mixed sweet pepper pieces (red, green, yellow)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp all purpose seasoning
550g (3 cups) of rice
750ml (3 cups) of water, to cook the rice
Method:
In a food processor, blend together the priri-piri chillies, onions, garlic, bell pepper, all-purpose seasoning, salt, lemon juice and vinegar to a smooth paste. Add the oil towards the end of the blending process.
Wash the chicken legs, remove the skin and make cuts in the flesh of the thigh and drumstick. Place in a bowl, pour over the piri-piri puree and massage into the chicken legs. Cover the bowl and set aside to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Arrange the chicken in a non-stick roasting tin, then slather over any left-over marinade. Cover with foil then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180C and roast for 20 minutes. At this point remove the foil and continue roasting for about 15 minutes more until the chicken is crusty, cooked through and tender.
Now start preparing the rice. Add the oil to a pan and when hot use for fry the onion for 2 minutes, until soft before adding the bell pepper pieces. Continue frying for 2 minutes then add the minced garlic, stirring to combine. Now add the peri-peri sauce, again mixing well to combine. Stir in the salt and all-purpose seasoning then stir in the rice. Stir well to combine, then pour in the 750ml water and stir once more.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes without stirring, then stir the mixture. Cover and cook again for 5 minutes, by which time the rice mixture should be essentially dry and the rice should be tender.
Serve the chicken accompanied by the rice.
