Recipes

Peri Peri Chicken with Ranch

Serves 4

| Prep Time: 10 mins

| Cook Time: 40 mins

| Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins

You may need: Peri Peri

Discover The Recipe

We think that you can't have enough easy weeknight meals in your repertoire. The same goes for chicken and this recipe for a roast Peri Peri chicken with ranch dip is sure to be a hit on your dinner table. Peri Peri is a Portuguese-Mozambique fusion marinade that results in a tangy-spicy-sweet sauce traditionally made with African Birds Eye chilis. Our Peri Peri spice blend makes it super simple to create the sauce and doubles as a seasoning for a delicious homemade ranch dip.

While you can use our Peri Peri blend as a dry rub, we encourage you to make the marinade to achieve the lemony-garlicky tanginess that so characterizes Peri Peri. Our Peri Peri blend has mild heat so you can customize heat to your taste by adding 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers to the marinade. Reserve some of the Peri Peri sauce before marinating to spoon over the chicken as a condiment. Use the Peri Peri sauce in a number of ways, such as a tapenade for grilled veggies. Find more ideas and links to recipes below.

Ingredients

Peri Peri Chicken Marinade
4 bone-in chicken quarters (drumsticks, wings ok)
salt & pepper to taste (optional)
1/4 sweet yellow onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, seeded & coarsely chopped
1 lemon, juiced
5 large, fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1.5 Tbsp of Piquant Post Peri Peri spice
1 jalapeño pepper, halved & seeded (optional)
Peri Peri Ranch
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp Piquant Post Peri Peri spice (+ more to taste)

Notes

You can make this recipe with any of your favorite chicken pieces: thighs, drumsticks, breasts, etc.

Use a food processor to quickly make the marinade. If you don't have one, you can use your blender. You'll have to use the spatula to scrape the sides more frequently to achieve a smooth consistency. You can also add a little more lemon juice or a couple tablespoons of water to help process the chunks.

We love reserving some of the marinade (before adding chicken) for drizzling on the cooked chicken. It is a delicious sauce that could also work for dunking crusty bread.

If it's BBQ season, you can easily BBQ the chicken instead of oven broiling / roasting.

Optional ingredients add a little character and flavor but don’t sweat it if you don’t have them.

Instructions

First, season chicken with salt & pepper to taste. Set chicken aside. Add onion, bell pepper, lemon juice, basil, garlic, olive oil, Peri Peri spice, and jalapeño to a food processor. Pureé for 30 seconds then use a spatula to scrape down side and pulse for 10 more seconds until sauce is mostly smooth. (Set aside some of the marinade as a tapenade sauce to drizzle on chicken).

Add chicken and Peri Peri marinade to a large zipper bag or non-reactive bowl. Toss to coat. Cover and place in fridge for a minimum of 20 mins to overnight.

When ready to cook, Pre-heat oven to 425. Gently shake chicken to remove excess marinade and place on a foil lined sheet pan or in a baking dish. Cook for 35-40 mins or until chicken reaches 165 degrees.

While chicken is cooking, make the ranch dressing. In a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine. Serve chicken with corn or roasted potatoes with ranch and extra Peri Peri sauce on the side.

Alternatives & Substitutions

Our Peri Peri spice blend works fine as a dry rub on chicken or any meat. But we always recommend trying the full marinade first to achieve maximum flavor.
For quick and fun way to amp up flavor on boneless skinless chicken breasts, try our Peri Peri Grilled Chicken recipe.
Or, try our super fast, super flavorful Peri Peri Skirt Steak recipe, our Peri Peri Lamb, or Portuguese Pork Tenderloin for a quick meal.
Vegetarians: try our delicious Peri Peri Cauliflower Steak or hearty African Vegetable Pelau (Rice Pilaf) or Spicy Fries with Peri Peri Aioli, and Peri Peri Tofu Skewers recipes instead.
Be sure to leave comments and feedback on your meals and experiments in the comments for others to read.
Post pictures of your masterpiece meal on social media and tag us. We repost!