Piri piri chicken

Preparation – 30 minutes + waiting time

For the marinade, combine olive oil, ground paprika, salt and lemon zest in a medium-sized bowl. Remove any excess fat or muscles from the chicken breasts and make sure the chicken breasts aren't too thick.

Cut them in half once for flatter chicken breasts if you'd like. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and make sure they are completely covered. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Add dried piri piri chili peppers to a little boiling water and then let it rest for about 10 minutes to soften. Meanwhile, peel the onion and garlic cloves and set aside.

Preferably use a mortar to make the pepper paste. You can use whole or ground coriander seeds for this. Grind them in the mortar along with the chili peppers (without the water).

Add tomato paste, olive oil and ground paprika and make sure the pepper paste is as smooth as possible.  

Finishing the piri piri chicken – 30 minutes

Heat a dash of sunflower oil in a medium-sized pan and sauté the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the pepper paste and cook for a few minutes and before you also pour in white wine.  

Add 2 bay leaves and a piece of lemon peel along with the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Let the sauce thicken to the desired thickness, this will take about 20 minutes to half an hour, then remove the lemon peel.

The exact time depends on the height of the heat source. In the meantime, heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook the marinated chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides.

You can also use a grill pan or barbecue for this. Check whether the chicken breasts are done and serve with the piri piri sauce.

Traditionally in portugal this chicken is served with fries and a salad, but also very delicious with rice and green/yellow beans, enjoy!