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The Fire 50 · cook it at home

Piri-piri chicken, the Algarve way

1 hr 15 min plus 2 hr marinating · 4 people

Guia's chicken is spatchcocked, grilled over charcoal, and brushed with chili oil as it cooks. A flattened chicken cooks evenly on any grill or in a hot oven.

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The real one

You need

• 1 chicken, about 1.6 kg (3 1/2 lb)
• 2 tsp coarse salt
• For the piri-piri oil: 6 to 10 small fresh red chilies (bird's eye), or 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
• 1 tbsp whisky or brandy (optional, as some Algarve grills do)
• To serve: fries, a tomato and onion salad, lemon wedges

How to make it

1. Make the oil (10 min): Blend the chilies, garlic, paprika, bay, lemon, vinegar and whisky to a paste, then blend in the oil. Set half aside for basting and serving.
2. Spatchcock and marinate (10 min, plus 2 hr): Cut out the backbone with kitchen shears, press the bird flat, and cut a few slashes in the legs. Salt it and rub with half the oil. Refrigerate 2 hours or up to a day.
3. Heat (20 min): Build a two-zone charcoal fire (coals on one side), or heat the oven to 220°C (425°F).
4. Grill (40 to 50 min): Grill skin side up over indirect heat with the lid closed 25 minutes, then flip skin side down over the coals for 5 to 8 minutes to crisp, watching for flare-ups. Brush with the reserved oil every 10 minutes. It's done at 75°C (165°F) in the thickest thigh. Oven: roast skin side up on a rack 40 to 45 minutes, basting, then broil 3 minutes.
5. Rest and serve (10 min): Rest 10 minutes, cut into pieces, and brush once more. Serve with fries, salad and the rest of the oil on the side.

Tips

• Wear gloves when handling the chilies.
• Flattening the chicken is what gets it cooked evenly in under an hour.
• Keep the basting oil separate from the raw-chicken marinade.

Chef Amazing's own home version of piri-piri chicken, in our words; not any restaurant's recipe.