Peri-Peri Nutty Chicken
- Course: Main Course
Summary:
The spicy sauce made with African bird's-eye chili peppers does great things for roasted chicken, especially when it's combined with peanut butter and soy sauce, as it is here.
Serve this chicken hot, cold or at room temperature.
4 to 8 servings
Ingredients:
- 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces (may use breast halves, thighs, legs or a combination)
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon medium-hot peri-peri sauce, such as Nando's Chickenland brand
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup sunflower oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 medium clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 cup peanuts or cashew nuts, finely chopped
- Leaves from 2 or 3 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped (2 tablespoons), for garnish
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer.
Lightly season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then arrange them in the baking dish, skin side up. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until the skin is crisp and lightly browned. (The chicken will not be cooked through.)
While the chicken is in the oven, combine the peri-peri sauce, peanut butter, oil, soy sauce and garlic in a small saucepan over low heat; stir until smooth. Remove from the heat, then add the chopped nuts and stir to incorporate.
Brush the chicken pieces generously, using all of the sauce; roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. To serve, transfer to a platter and garnish with cilantro.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "Peri-Peri: The Contrasts and Contradictions of the African Bird’s Eye Chilli," by Rochelle Schatzl (Jacana Media, 2009).
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