✔ Updated · copycat marinade, step photos and coconut lime rice
My copycat Nando's peri peri chicken is smoky, garlicky and lime-bright, with enough chili to make my lips tingle. It's an easy chicken recipe in my house: I mix the marinade, give it at least an hour, and the oven does the rest.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Slash the chicken before it goes into the marinade. Those cuts let the peri peri flavor in past the skin, and they char beautifully under the broiler.
Why You'll Love This Peri Peri Chicken
- Restaurant-style flavor, with a blended chili, garlic and citrus marinade like the one you'd expect at Nando's.
- Heat you control, from mild to extra hot, just by changing the number of chilies.
- A full meal on one table, with roasted corn and coconut lime rice.
What Makes It Taste Like Nando’s
The flavor comes from a blended marinade, not a dry rub: hot bird's eye chilies, lots of garlic, citrus, a splash of vinegar and smoked paprika. That tang plus the char from the broiler is what makes it taste like the restaurant version. This is my copycat inspired by it, not the chain's own recipe.
What You Need
- Bone-in chicken: thighs and drumsticks stay juicy and soak up the most flavor.
- Bird's eye chilies: or Fresno chilies for a milder version.
- Garlic, lemon, lime and vinegar: the tangy backbone of peri peri.
- Smoked paprika and oregano: smoky color and an herby note.
- Coconut milk and basmati: for the creamy coconut lime rice.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Bird's eye chilies bring the real peri peri heat. Three gives a lively medium; six is properly hot. Wear gloves, or wash your hands well, after handling them.
- Marinate overnight if you can. An hour works, but a night in the fridge makes the flavor go all the way through. Never marinate at room temperature.
- Use a thermometer. Chicken is safe at 165°F. Bone-in thighs stay juicy even a little higher, so don't panic if they read 175°F.
- Char at the end. Broiling for the last few minutes gives that flame-grilled look. On a grill, cook over medium indirect heat, then sear over direct heat.
- Make extra sauce. Double the marinade and keep half aside before it touches raw chicken. It keeps for a week in the fridge and is great on fries.
- Boneless option: boneless thighs roast in 20 to 25 minutes at 425°F; still cook them to 165°F.
Copycat Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken with Coconut Lime Rice
6
servings20
minutes45
minutes760
kcal1
hour2
hours5
minutesPeri peri chicken inspired by Nando’s: bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks marinated in a blended sauce of bird’s eye chilies, garlic, lemon, lime, smoked paprika and oregano, roasted at 425°F to 165°F and charred under the broiler. Served with roasted corn and coconut lime rice with black-eyed peas.
Ingredients
- For the peri peri marinade
3 to 6 red bird’s eye chilies (or 2 red Fresno chilies), stems removed
6 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- For the chicken
2 1/2 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 8 pieces)
4 small ears of corn
- For the coconut lime rice
1 1/2 cups basmati or long-grain rice, rinsed
1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 15-oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 lime, juiced
4 green onions, sliced
lime wedges, to serve
Directions
- Marinate
- Blend all the marinade ingredients until smooth. Start with 3 chilies for medium heat and add more if you like it hot. Set aside 1/4 cup for serving.
- Pat the chicken dry and cut 2 or 3 shallow slashes into each piece. Rub the rest of the marinade all over, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
- Roast
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Arrange the chicken skin side up on a lined sheet pan and roast for 30 minutes.
- Add the corn to the pan, brush it with the pan juices and roast 10 to 15 minutes more, until the chicken reads 165°F in the thickest part without touching the bone.
- Switch to broil and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until the skin is blistered and charred in spots. Rest 5 minutes.
- Coconut lime rice
- While the chicken roasts, bring the coconut milk, water and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the rice, cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Scatter the black-eyed peas over the rice, cover and let it stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice and green onions and fluff with a fork.
- Serve the chicken and corn over the rice, spooned with the reserved peri peri sauce and with lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- If you are not ready to serve the chicken, then do not roast it before time. Let it marinate till the last minute then bake in the oven.
- To serve the leftover peri-peri chicken, store it in a sealable container and reheat in the oven at low temperatures to keep the moisture of the chicken intact.
- If you are not in the mood to serve chicken legs or thighs, then you can also use boneless chicken breasts. Season the pounded chicken breast fillets with the same peri-peri seasoning as given in the recipe and cook the chicken breast according to its cooking time.
- Grilling can also be used as a method of cooking to give your chicken a strong smoky flavor and a nice juicy texture.
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More Copycat Chicken
Love a restaurant-style chicken dinner? Try my copycat KFC original chicken or Panda Express orange chicken. Not sure what to put on the side? My sides for chicken wings work just as well here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make Nando's chicken at home?
Blend a peri peri marinade of bird's eye chilies, garlic, lemon, vinegar, oil, smoked paprika and oregano, rub it into slashed bone-in chicken and marinate for at least an hour. Roast at 425°F until it reaches 165°F, then broil for a few minutes to char.
What is peri peri?
Peri peri (or piri piri) is a small, fiery African bird's eye chili, and the name of the tangy chili sauce made from it. The sauce has Portuguese and Southern African roots and usually combines chili, garlic, citrus, vinegar and oil.
Can I use store-bought peri peri sauce?
Yes. Use about 3/4 cup of bottled peri peri sauce as the marinade and add 2 crushed garlic cloves and a squeeze of lemon. Keep some unused sauce aside for serving.
How hot is this peri peri chicken?
With 3 bird's eye chilies it's a solid medium, similar to a medium-hot restaurant level. For mild, use 1 Fresno chili and extra paprika; for extra hot, use 6 or more bird's eye chilies.
How do I store and reheat leftovers?
Refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days. Reheat chicken in a 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until it reaches 165°F. Reheat rice with a splash of water, covered, until steaming hot.
