Why not make your favourite Nando's Chicken at home? This easy Peri Peri Chicken recipe has all the flavour you know and love from Nando's but much cheaper. It's simple to make and cooks in 40 minutes, and you can even cook it on the BBQ too. Spice up your meals times with this flaming hot Nando's Chicken Recipe!
We love recreating our favourite restaurant meals at home. Not only are they cheaper to make yourself, but healthier too because you can control exact what goes in to it. Nando's has soared in popularity in recent years, and it's no wonder with their deliciously smokey and spicy chicken. It is much easier than you think to create Nando's chicken at home, at a fraction of the price.
Just a few minutes prep time and you have homemade Nando's chicken with minimal effort but maximum flavour. Juicy, tender and delicious chicken with a kick of spice. Fancy making some other takeaway favourites at home yourself? Why not try our Lamb Shish Kebab, Slow Cooker Chicken Korma, Soy Sauce Noodles or Healthy Chicken Tikka Masala.
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Why you will love it
- Cheaper and healthier version of Nando's - If you are looking to save some money and eat a bit better, then this recipe is perfect as it's cheaper than going to Nando's and our marinade has less salt and oil, so it's a lighter version.
- Quick - This Nando's chicken recipe cooks in just 40 minutes, which although it might seem a long time, it's quicker than going to your local Nando's, ordering and waiting.
- Delicious and easy marinade - This marinade is so easy to make, as you just mix everything together in a bowl and it tastes incredible.
- Great for batch cooking - We love to make a big batch of this Nando's chicken recipe and the then shred it up to add to meals over the next couple of days. It goes really well on salad or in sandwiches.
Ingredients needed
- Chicken - We used skin on, bone in chicken thighs are we find that they have the best flavour, they result in the juiciest chicken and it is more authentic if you want that Nando's flavour. However, you could use boneless and skinless if you wanted to.
- Olive oil - This makes up the bulk of the marinade. Try to use the best quality olive oil you can, as you really will be able to taste the difference.
- Lemon - This helps to loosen up the marinade, and add some freshness too, but the acidity also tenderises the chicken. We used just lemon juice, but you could add some zest for extra lemon flavour. We used 2 lemons, but if yours are really juicy then you might only need one. You can also use limes instead if you prefer. To get more juice out of your lemons, then roll them with the palm of your hand first.
- Paprika - This is what really gives that classic Nando's chicken flavour. We used smoked paprika as it has such an incredible flavour. Make sure your paprika hasn't been open for longer than 6 months, as it won't have a lot of flavour.
- Chilli - This is where you can make it as spicy or as mild as you like. We used red chilli flakes and you can use as many or as few as you like.
- Garlic - Freshly crushed is best, however you can use a jar of pre-crushed garlic if you want to save time. If you are crushing it yourself, make sure it is finely crushed almost in to a paste, as it will ensure even distribution in the marinade and on the chicken, so you don't get chunks of garlic. You could also use a teaspoon of garlic powder too if you prefer.
- Herbs - Dried oregano and parsley add lots of flavour. Again, make sure the dried herbs haven't been open too long.
- Salt and pepper - We used a good quality sea salt and black pepper and you can season it to taste. However, we do think you need to be generous with the salt if you want a more authentic Nando's Chicken Recipe taste.
How to make Peri Peri Chicken - step by step
One: Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
Two: Put the chicken in to a large bowl and add the marinade. Mix well. Put in the fridge for 30-60 minutes so the chicken marinates.
Three: Put in a baking dish or onto a baking sheet.
Four: Put in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 and bake for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (reached an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F). Use a meat thermometer like this Thermapen.
What is Peri Peri?
Peri Peri is actually a type of chilli, and it's also known as the African bird's eye chilli. We think of peri peri as the actual sauce or seasoning, but the chillies are mixed with garlic, salt, paprika and herbs to make the seasoning and then mixed in to olive oil, lemon and vinegar to make the sauce. Some people call it Piri Piri, but Peri Peri is what we are more used to in the UK.
Whilst you can use fresh chillies, we used dried red chilli flakes as that is what we had on hand and it means that you can easily make this marinade without needing many fresh ingredients.
Most people think that Nando's is Portuguese, because of the chicken symbol that is associated with Portugal, but it is actually South African, and that is where all their chillies are grown.
Storage
Store: Once fully cooled, you can store this peri peri chicken recipe in an air tight container where it will keep fresh for up to 3 days. We like the take all the chicken off the bone, shred it up and then store it to add to salads or on top of rice for quick and easy meals.
Freeze: Once cooled, you can put the chicken in freezer bags and freeze it for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the chicken in the marinade before cooking. Once you have added the marinade, then you can put it in a freezer bag, squeeze the air out of it and then store it in the freezer until you are ready to defrost it and cook it.
Reheat: Once fully defrosted, you can shred the chicken off the bone and then add a little oil to a frying pan, heat and then add the chicken and heat through. Make sure it is piping hot before serving.
What to serve with Nando's Chicken
Anyone that has been to Nando's will know just how many sides they have on offer, and we do like a side dish. I would go with a classic fries, corn and slaw combo to compliment this chicken just like you would get in Nando's. Why not try our Garlic Potato Wedges, or homemade fries with our French Fry Seasoning and Mexican Coleslaw and Grilled Corn with Herb Butter. If you want to serve it with rice, like we have, then try our Easy Spanish Rice.
Other side dishes that go really well with our Nando's Chicken Recipe are Garlic Spring Greens, Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli, Little Gem Salad or Roasted Cherry Tomatoes.
If you want some sauce on the side, then we recommend our Kebab Shop Chilli Sauce or Easy Garlic Sauce. To make your own Nando's sauce by taking all the same seasonings in this recipe again and mixing it with some lemon juice, more oil and some vinegar until the desired consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
We used chicken thighs (skin on and bone in) in this recipe, as they are nice and juicy. But, you could use drumsticks, breast or even do a whole chicken with this seasoning on. Cooking times will vary depending on what kind of chicken you are using though, so make sure to use a thermometer to check it is cooked.
You don't have to, but I would say it certainly helps. Leave it for a couple of hours if you can, but at least 30 minutes before cooking. The longer you can marinade it, the better it will taste, so leave overnight if possible.
Peri Peri chicken has a proper kick to it, but that's the whole point of it. It has plenty of flavour too, so it isn't just about the spice. But the spice is important. I am guessing if you don't like spicy food, then you wouldn't have found your way to this recipe.
If you are making it for people that don't love spicy food, then you could either use less chillies in the recipe, or make sure you have a creamy and cooling dip on the side to take some of the edge off.
We cooked the chicken for 40 minutes, however every oven cooks differently, so check the chicken after 30 minutes.
You can stick a knife in to the thickest part of the chicken thighs and if the juices run clear then it is cooked. The best way to ensure that it is cooked through is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken is cooked when it has an internal temperature of 74°C/167°F.
Yes, you can, but we would always recommend cooking it in the oven first and then finishing it on the BBQ. Cook it for 35 minutes in the oven and then for the final 5 minutes you can put it on the BBQ to get that crispy skin and BBQ smokey flavour.
Yes, as long as you make sure that there is no cross contamination, then this can be gluten free.
Yes, you can easily double this recipe, you just need to make sure that you have a baking tray big enough, or you will need to use two baking trays.
Yes, and that is one of the best things about it. You can make up the marinade, smother it over the chicken and then cover it and put it in the fridge over night until you are ready to cook it the next day. You maybe need to add 5-10 minutes on to the cooking time if you are putting it in the oven straight from the fridge.
More chicken recipes
If you’ve tried this homemade Nando's Peri Peri Chicken recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
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Recipe
Peri Peri Chicken (Homemade Nando's Recipe)
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken thighs
Marinade
- 2 Lemons - juice only
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Paprika
- 2 teaspoon Chilli flakes - (adjust to taste)
- 4 cloves Garlic clove - crushed
- 2 teaspoon Dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon Fresh parsley - finely chopped
- 1 pinch Sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Put all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Put the chicken in to a large bowl and add the marinade. Mix well. Put in the fridge for 30-60 minutes so the chicken marinates.
- Put in a baking dish or onto a baking sheet.
- Put in a preheated oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas 7 and bake for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (reached an internal temperature of 74°C/165°F)
Notes
- This recipe uses 2 teaspoon of chilli flakes. If you don't like a lot of spice, reduce it to 1 tsp.
- Make sure that the chicken has enough space in the baking tray so that it cooks properly.
- Make your own Nando's sauce by taking all the same seasonings in this recipe again and mixing it with some lemon juice, more oil and some vinegar until the desired consistency.
- We used chicken thighs, but you can use drumsticks, breasts or even a whole chicken.
- Try to marinade it overnight if you can, but at least 30 minutes in the fridge if you don't have a lot of time.
- To make sure the chicken has reached the desired internal temperature, we used this Thermapen.
Nessie
We can never get chicken right on the BBQ, so one of these would come in handy. They are surprisingly cheap too.
Tandy | Lavender and Lime
Low and slow is the key! We eat a lot of chicken and I try a new flavour combination each time for variety
Elizabeth @ SugarHero.com
Mmmm. I've had peri peri chicken at restaurants, but never tried to make it myself. This sounds phenomenal!
Rachel
This looks incredible, I do love my peri peri chicken! xo
Sarah Cantwell
Ooo these look delist! My husband would love these.
Donna
Ooh yum, these sound divine!! I hear ya on the hubby's cravings outweighing the pregnant ladies ones - my husband is the worse since I became pregnant (congrats by the way :))!!
Vikki
We are always looking for new ways to cook chicken, as it makes a good post workout meal.
Kellie Kearney
Oh my, they look delish. Fancy coming over to cook them up for me???
Lisa
I've never heard of Peri Peri Chicken, but as it turns out I've been grilling chicken breasts with these seasonings for years...and it is delicious! I read another comment that mentioned Nando's restaurant and I found that interesting as when we arrived in London for vacation a few weeks ago I asked our driver where he and his family liked to eat and that's the restaurant he recommended! Unfortunately we never made it to one, but at least I knew what it was when I read that comment!
Melanie Edjourian
This looks lovely, I d love piri piri chicken but can't find a restaurant hat makes it properly.
Hannah
I love peri peri, especially when the flavor is really hot. I like Nando's extra extra hot sauce x
Evi
I've never heard of peri peri chicken! I love how easy it is to make this recipe, and how you can just leave it on the grill. The flavors sound delicious!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
This looks amazing! The photos of the chicken are gorgeous! I can't wait to try this!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
I made homemade peri peri sauce a couple of weeks ago, I was so surprised at how easy it was! The Thermapen looks really handy and definitely something that all meat eaters should use.
anna nuttall
I love homemade chicken peri peri. Nothing beat a BBQ! xx
Sabrina @ The Mummy Stylist
Hehe I am a fan of that well-known restaurant too ;-) These must have tasted extra good being cooked on the barbeque and that Thermapen gadget is a brilliant idea, I alway worry about not knowing when the meat is cooked, so this is great! xx
Jen | Baked by an Introvert
I love chicken on the grill! I must make this before grilling season is over.
Aish Padihari
I got a box of peri peri rub from trader joe's. Still got to make per peri chicken though. Your pics and post look awesome.
Colette
Can't beat a bit of chicken on the BBQ - I don't feel like I've eaten enough BBQ food this year lol.
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I always love peri peri chicken! Yours looks GREAT, Dannii.