Grilled Chicken Piri Piri

This is some of the best grilled chicken I ever had. I watched it being made on Food Network a few months ago & it always stayed in my head. I made it last weekend for our BBQ with family & I can't express enough how much everyone enjoyed it. The marinade really stuck with the chicken & gave it such an awesome flavor. The reason why? I divulge in my thoughts below. This was so good, I am making it again for our BBQ with friends tomorrow. Have a wonderful holiday weekend everyone!!!!!

• 2-3 lemons, zested & juiced plus 2 sliced for garnish
• 1/2 head garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 red peppers, seeded & roughly chopped
• 5 chili peppers like serrano or jalapeno
• 2 cups fresh parsley leaves (use fresh)
• 1 1/2 tblsp paprika
• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 cup olive oil
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 3 pkgs cut up chicken pieces, skin on

{ just before grill time }

In a food processor add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper, chiles, parsley, paprika, red wine vinegar & oil. Process until it becomes a paste (wasn't too pasty to me). Season with salt & pepper. Reserve 1 cup of the sauce as set aside for garnishing cooked chicken later.

Divide chicken pieces into 2-3 large resealable plastic bags. Divide the marinade into both bags & seal. Turn the chicken around in the bags to distribute the marinade. Place chicken in the refrigerator & let it marinate for at least 1 hour & up to 1 day. I did mine overnight after baking it (see my thoughts).

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from bags with tongs & drain well. Season with salt & pepper. Place on grill, skin side down first & grill for about 15 minutes on each side turning occasionally until cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges & the reserved piri piri sauce (optional).


{My Thoughts}

Whenever I grill out with chicken on the bone I always bake it first for about 25 minutes with just a bit of salt & pepper in a 375 oven. Not only does this cut down on the time on the grill it also allows the marinade to really penetrate the chicken better. And it’s still on the grill long enough (about 15 min) to get that delicious grilled flavor. My Dad & I have been doing this for years & swear by it!!!!! For this recipe, I needed 2 baking sheets, one for the thighs & legs & the other for the breasts.

I halved the original recipe (here) & the amounts are reflected above. 3 pkgs of cut up chicken feeds about 6 with a few leftover. As for the peppers, I used about 4 jalapenos because I didn't want it to be too spicy for my in laws. It was perfect.

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