Paul Ainsworth’s piri-piri chicken
This is sure to be a winner winner chicken dinner! Paul Ainsworth is serving up his tasty piri-piri chicken that’s filled with vibrant colours and punchy spice. It’s crowd-pleasing, delicious - and best of all, uses a spatchcock chicken to make it the juiciest roast chicken you'll ever taste.
Paul Ainsworth’s piri piri chicken
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the piri piri sauce:
100ml olive oil
120g diced white onion
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 large garlic cloves grated fine
3 tsp dried chilli flakes
2 red chillies chopped
30g dark soft brown sugar
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
70g sherry vinegar
300g roasted sliced red peppers
1 lemon zest and juice
10g Franks hot sauce
15g fresh coriander
Salt and pepper for seasoning
For the chicken:
1 whole spatchcock chicken, marinated in 3 tablespoons of piri piri sauce
350g tinned chopped pomodoro tomatoes
1 tbsp dried oregano
300g fresh cherry or plum tomatoes, halved
1 large red pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced
1 large yellow pepper, de-seeded and thinly sliced
4 sprigs of thyme
250g cooking chorizo, cut into 2cm pieces
300g cooked and sliced new potatoes (lightly simmered in salted water until just tender)
½ bunch coriander, lightly chopped
½ bunch basil, roughly chopped or torn
100g feta, diced
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
5 pickled chilies, cut into thick slices
Salt and pepper for seasoning
For the piri piri mayonnaise:
200g plain mayonnaise
30g piri piri sauce
½ lime zest and juice
½ lemon zest
Method
To make Paul’s piri piri sauce:
1. Add the oil to a large saucepan and over a medium heat add the onions, oregano, garlic, chilli flakes and a pinch of salt and start to sweat/soften the onions with no colour.
2. Add the chopped red chillies, brown sugar and smoked paprika and cook out for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add the sherry vinegar to the pan and reduce until evaporated.
4. Add the red peppers and cook for 2 more minutes, then add the lemon zest and juice and hot sauce and remove from the heat.
5. Place the mix into a food blender with the fresh coriander and blitz until very smooth, check the seasoning and add more salt and pepper if needed. Place in a tub or jar and refrigerate until needed.
To prepare the chicken:
1. Rub the piri piri sauce all over your chicken and leave to marinade in the fridge for 4 hours at least - 24 hours if you can!
2. Add the chopped tomatoes to a roasting tray and season well with salt and pepper then sprinkle the oregano all over
3. Add the cut cherry tomatoes including the vines if you have them along with the sliced peppers and mix well through the chopped tomatoes
4. In a hot frying pan quickly colour the chorizo then add the sliced new potatoes and colour them. Once golden add to the tray with the other ingredients.
5. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and place on top of the main ingredients in the tray and place into a preheated oven at 190C, Gas 5 and roast for about 40 - 45 minutes depending on the size of the chicken - If you have a food thermometer, probe the meat on the bone. It’s cooked when you hit 70-75C.
6. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
7. Finish the tray with fresh chopped coriander, basil, diced feta and grated fresh lemon and lime zest, finish with a pinch of rock salt all over the chicken.
To make the mayonnaise:
1. Combine all the ingredients together and mix well.
2. Finally, drizzle the piri piri mayonnaise all over the roasted chicken and serve in the centre of the table.