Peri Peri Chicken (Nando’s Copycat)

This easy version of Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken can be on your table in well under an hour. Serve with my coconut lime rice and corn on the cob for a feast that looks fancy, but is actually really easy peasy – promise I won’t tell! (Serves 4-6, depending on appetite.)

📝 Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chilli flakes ((or to taste))
• 4 cloves garlic (crushed or grated)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt ((or to taste))
• Black pepper to taste
• 8 chicken legs (or thighs or a mixture)
• 4 small corn on the cobs ((cobettes))
• 300 g basmati or long grain rice
• 400 ml tin coconut milk
• 200 ml water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 400 g tin black eyed peas ((or black beans or kidney beans, drained))
• Juice of 1 lime
• 4 spring onions (sliced)
• Sliced spring onions and lime wedges

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Peri Peri Chicken & Corn ---
2. 2Preheat your oven to 220C / 200C / gas mark 7 / 425F. (Save this step till later if you plan to marinate your chicken first)
3. 3Mix together all of the Peri Peri Chicken ingredients (apart from the corn on the cobs and the actual chicken!) in a large bowl. Score the skin of the chicken with the point of a sharp knife and place the chicken in the bowl of marinade, turning to coat each piece of chicken with marinade.
4. 4Marinate the chicken for 1 hour in the fridge or up to 24 hours if you have the time. Alternatively just continue with the recipe.
5. 5Place all the chicken pieces on a roasting tray and place the tray in your preheated oven.
6. 6Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, remove the tray from the oven, add the corn on the cobs turning them in the juices, then return the tray to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
7. 7--- Coconut Lime Rice ---
8. 8While the chicken is cooking, place the rice, coconut milk and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and cook for a further 8 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed almost all the liquid.
9. 9Add the drained black eyed peas, lime juice and spring onions and cook with the lid on for a further 2 minutes or until the black eyed peas have warmed through and the liquid is all absorbed.
10. 10Keep the lid on until needed.
11. 11--- To serve ---
12. 12Arrange the rice on a serving platter, top with the chicken pieces and corn on the cobs. Drizzle over any juices from the chicken pan and then scatter over the spring onions and lime wedges.