Green Chili Piri Piri Roast Chicken
When I asked my Portuguese friends “What the heck is Piri Piri?” they all responded “It’s HOT!... And it goes with chicken.” It's a definite 'must try' dish on the tasting list, and during my travels in Lisbon my tastebuds were treated to the spicy-hot punch they were craving.
Piri Piri is a hot chili pepper, also known as the African Birds-Eye chili. It’s pretty darn spicy registering 50,000-175,000 Scoville units. In Portuguese cuisine, Piri-Piri is synonymous with chicken, and is one of those family ‘secret’ recipes that every family’s grandmother has in her repertoire.I’m taking a few creative liberties with this recipe (hey, I’m a chef, it’s what we do...). While the sauce is generally red, this recipe uses fresh green chilis and herbs to brighten and lighten the flavors. Blanching the herbs, and also adding mild sweet peppers gives a refreshing depth (and color!) to the sauce. For those who are not fans of cilantro, feel free to use parsley instead.
If you can’t find actual Piri Piri pepper flakes, hot red chili flakes can be substituted in a pinch. Most commonly seen with grilled chicken, we’re roasting a whole spatchcocked bird here for a one roasting pan dinner. While the chicken is clearly the star of the show, shout out to the runner up: crispy, deeply caramelized green beans with an umami rich flavor unlike anything else. Deliciosa!
Green Chili ‘Piri Piri’ Roast Chicken
Ingredients:
1 bunch / approx. ¾ c. fresh Cilantro or Parsley, cut from stems
3-4 stems / approx. ¼ c. fresh basil leaves
4 cloves garlic, halved
1 large shallot, quartered
2 tsp. dried Piri Piri or hot Red Chili flakes
½ tsp. smoked paprika
3-5 fresh Jalapeno or Serrano chilis, stemmed & quartered
2 fresh Cubanelle or Anaheim peppers, stemmed & quartered
3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
1 whole, 4 lb. chicken
1 lb. little red potatoes
½ lb. green beans, trimmed & halved
olive oil, as needed
kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper, as needed
onion powder, as needed
additional smoked paprika, as needed
1 lemon, sliced into wedges for serving
few sprigs of fresh herbs, for serving
Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a small sauce pan. When the water boils, add ½ tsp. salt. Holding the fresh herb bunches by the stems, quickly dip the leaves into the boiling water for just a second, remove, and place on a paper towel lined dish. Gently pat herbs dry.
Add garlic, shallot, chili flakes, and paprika to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 5 times (full one-second pulses!), until ingredients are roughly chopped. Next, add all chili peppers and white wine vinegar, and pulse 5 times to chop. Add blanched herbs, 3 Tbs. olive oil, 1 tsp. kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Pulse 5 times to chop herbs, then turn the food processor on high to blend into a puree. Reserve ¼ cup of marinade, and set aside for serving.
Pat the chicken dry all over with a paper towel. Remove the wishbone and any excess fat or skin. Spatchcock the chicken: Flip the chicken so the backbone is facing up, and cut out the entire back bone using kitchen scissors. Next, place the chicken (breast side up) into a large baking dish, gently flattening out the thighs and legs. Slide your fingers underneath the chicken skin, and gently loosen the skin all over.
Rub ½ of the Piri Piri marinade underneath the skin, over the whole chicken, including over the legs and thighs. Pour the remaining half of the marinade over top of the chicken. Season with salt and pepper all over, and let sit out at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. -- In a roasting pan, toss together potatoes, green beans, 2 Tbs. olive oil, 2 tsp. of onion powder, ½ tsp. smoked paprika, ½ tsp. kosher salt and 1/8 tsp. black pepper until fully coated. Place the marinated chicken on top of the potatoes & green beans, and gently flatten out the legs and thighs. Place the roasting pan into the oven, on a centered rack. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 40-50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, and gently place the whole chicken onto a large dish. Tent with foil, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Toss the potatoes and caramelized green beans in all of the pan juices, and place on a serving platter. Carve the chicken, and arrange on the serving platter along side the potatoes & beans. Serve with reserved fresh Piri Piri sauce, lemon wedges, and a sprinkle of freshly torn herbs.
Shiso Fresh TM is brought to you by Chef Jessica Roy of Shiso Kitchen in Boston, MA. Follow along on Social Media Via @shisofresh and @shisokitchen