Tantalise your tastebuds with this incredible oven-baked peri peri chicken recipe! If you're a fan of deliciously spicy and juicy peri peri chicken, then this recipe is an absolute must-try. Marinated in a mouth-watering homemade peri peri sauce and baked to perfection, this chicken is going to leave you wanting more of that peri peri flavour that we all know and love!
When I was working in London, one of our favourite treats was a lunchtime visit to Nando's for some of their famous peri peri chicken. Since leaving work, and moving away from London, I find myself in the position of not having a Nando's restaurant nearby, so that particular pleasure is now just a distant memory.
Until that is, I decided to try making it myself, at home. And now that I've perfected the taste, I can enjoy peri peri chicken any time I feel like it. I only wish I'd done this sooner 🙂
What I love about the homemade peri peri marinade is that you can adjust the amount of chilli you add. I prefer the peri peri to be hot enough to provide a 'zing' but not so hot that it numbs your mouth so you can't taste what you are eating. With this recipe, you alter the chilli to suit your own taste.
My big secret for this marinade is to blitz all the ingredients in a food processor, and instead of lime juice, remove the rind from half a lime and add the lime pulp. It adds a tremendous boost of lovely citrus flavour.
Once the peri peri marinade is prepared you simply it pour over the chicken and leave it to marinate for an hour or two in the fridge. You can even leave it overnight if you can wait that long! If you are in a hurry you could cook the chicken immediately. It will still be tasty but then you won't get the flavours permeating throughout the chicken.
I like to bake these peri peri chicken drumsticks in the oven which to my mind is so much healthier than frying. And because the marinade contains a small amount of olive oil, there's no need to add any additional oil before baking.
If you enjoy the taste of peri peri you might like to try my peri peri chicken livers or this amazing beef trinchado.
Jump to:
Ingredients
This will make sufficient peri peri chicken for 4 people.
- Chicken drumsticks - my preference is for chicken drumsticks but you could use thighs instead. You could also use chicken breasts; they will take 5 minutes less time to cook in the oven.
Marinade:
- Red bell pepper (or capsicum) - this should be deseeded and cut into large pieces. It will be chopped until fine once it goes into the food processor with the other marinade ingredients. You could also use roasted red peppers from a jar.
- Lime - using a sharp knife, you should remove the skin from half a lime and add the pulp to the food processor. You could simply squeeze the lime juice into the marinade, but adding the pulp give a stronger citrus flavour. Substitute with lemon juice.
- Dried oregano - adds a slight peppery taste. I used dried oregano, but you could use fresh instead.
- Garlic - this is to your own taste - I used three cloves - add extra for a stronger flavour.
- Balsamic vinegar - adds a slightly sour taste. Substitute with any fruity vinegar.
- Chilli flakes - I use a chilli paste blend which I've been using for years and I know how much to add to my taste. You could blend a fresh bird's eye chilli into the marinade instead.
- Paprika - adds a smokey element to the marinade.
- Olive oil - this helps bring all the marinade ingredients together, and also means you don't have to add any extra oil when the chicken goes into the oven.
- Salt, black pepper and sugar - for seasoning. Use to your own taste. I like the slight sweetness that you get from the sugar - leave it out if you prefer.
**You can find the exact ingredient measurements for making oven-baked Nando's peri peri chicken on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Instructions
Step 1: Cut the red bell pepper into large pieces, and remove the peel from half a lime. Place these with the other marinade ingredients into a food processor and blend until finely chopped.
Step 2: Combine the chicken with the marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight if you have time) to marinate.
Step 3: Transfer the chicken drumsticks to a baking tray lined with foil. Pour any remaining marinade over the chicken.
Step 4: Bake the chicken in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.
Tips for a successful outcome
Here are my top tips to ensure your peri peri chicken always turns out perfectly:
- Use your favourite cut of chicken for this recipe. If you use chicken breasts, cut them in half through the middle (to make them thinner) and reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.
- I allowed 2 large chicken drumsticks per person - but there's plenty of marinade so you can add additional chicken if your family has a larger appetite.
- For the marinade, ensure you blend it long enough for the red pepper and garlic cloves to become very finely chopped. If you prefer an even smoother marinade, blend it with an immersion- or stick-blender before using.
- Add chilli to your own taste - as I mentioned above I use chilli flakes, but you could blend a bird's eye chilli (or similar) with the marinade ingredients instead.
Serving suggestions
I like to serve this peri peri chicken on a bed of spicy mushroom rice with fresh corn cobs and a green salad, garnished with extra wedges of lime to squeeze over.
Here are some suggestions for other sides you may like to serve:
- homemade pickled red onions
- fresh buttered corn and rice
- stuffed potato skins
- spicy beetroot salad
- creamy coleslaw
Equipment
You will need a food processor to blend the marinade ingredients. Even though the marinade has been blended in a food processor, you will still find that it has tiny bits of red pepper in it. If you prefer a smoother marinade you can blend it with a stick-blender once it comes out of the food processor.
You will also need a bowl for marinating the chicken and a baking tray.
I like to line my baking tray with tin foil to make cleaning up easier.
Storage
Store leftover chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The chicken tastes good served cold. You could also reheat it in the microwave for 90 seconds or place it in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
You can freeze the chicken in the marinade (before baking) in a freezer bag for up to three months. Allow the chicken to defrost in the refrigerator then bake according to the recipe instructions.
FAQ
Peri peri chicken originated in Southern Africa, specifically in the Portuguese-influenced region of Mozambique. The name 'peri peri' comes from the Swahili word 'pili pili' meaning 'pepper pepper', and refers to the little bird's eye chillis which are grown in that part of the world. Because of this, you may sometimes hear peri peri chicken as being referred to as pili pili chicken.
Yes you certainly can do this, although I like to make my own so that I can adjust the heat and flavour to my own taste.
If you have a meat thermometer it should register 74C or 165F when your chicken is completely cooked.
Save for later
If you would like to make this Nando's peri peri chicken yourself, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
Visit my chicken and poultry recipes page for other easy chicken dishes. Here are a few that you might enjoy:
📋The recipe
Oven-baked Nando's peri peri chicken
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking sheet
- Food processor
- Stick blender optional
Ingredients
Chicken
- 8 chicken drumsticks or pieces of chicken of your choice
Marinade
- 1 medium red bell pepper or use the equivalent amount of bottled roasted red pepper
- 3 cloves garlic or the equivalent amount from a jar
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes or use a whole bird's eye chilli
- ½ lime or use lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar optional
Instructions
- Cut the red bell pepper into large pieces, and remove the skin from half a lime. Place the pepper and lime pulp with the other marinade ingredients into a food processor and blend until finely chopped.1 medium red bell pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, ½ lime, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Combine the chicken with the marinade, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight if you have time) to marinate.8 chicken drumsticks
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Transfer the chicken drumsticks to a baking tray lined with foil. Pour any remaining marinade over the chicken.
- Bake the chicken in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 30 minutes, turning once halfway through the cooking time.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use your favourite cut of chicken for this recipe. If you use chicken breasts, cut them in half through the middle (to make them thinner) and reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.
- I allowed 2 large chicken drumsticks per person - but there's plenty of marinade so you can add additional chicken if your family has a larger appetite.
- For the marinade, ensure you blend it long enough for the red pepper and garlic cloves to become very finely chopped. If you prefer an even smoother marinade, blend it with an immersion- or stick-blender before using.
- Add chilli to your own taste - as I mentioned above I use chilli flakes, but you could blend a bird's eye chilli (or similar) with the marinade ingredients instead.
- Store leftover chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The chicken tastes good served cold. You could also reheat it in the microwave for 90 seconds or place it in a hot oven for 5 minutes.
- You can freeze the chicken in the marinade (before baking) in a freezer bag for up to three months. Allow the chicken to defrost in the refrigerator then bake according to the recipe instructions.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
If you made this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love it if you could give me a star rating in the comments below. And if you'd like to get in touch, you can email me at [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you. And don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list so you can grab yourself a copy of my FREE COOKBOOK!
If you'd like to continue browsing, just click on this link to all my recipes.
Maureen Welch
Looks yummy! I followed the recipe (kind of -switched citrus to orange and lime, left out sugar, not a sweet fan although I realize you're going more for sweet/sour or possibly caramelization with the sugar here.), my chicken is marinating now, should be baking in an hour or so.
VJ
Hope the chicken turned out well for you!
Ethel
I will try this
VJ
I hope you enjoy it 🙂