Peri-Peri Chicken
Portuguese style peri-peri chicken
Ingredients
- 8 skinless and boneless chicken thigh fillets
- 75 ml medium–hot peri-peri sauce
- ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
- sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the dirty rice
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 1 red pepper halved, cored, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 green pepper halved, cored, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch saffron strands
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 1 chicken stock cube crumbled
- 500 g cooked brown rice freshly cooked and drained or 2 pouches
For the coleslaw
- 250 g red and/or white cabbage finely shredded
- 1 carrot grated (about 100g/3½oz prepared weight)
- 2 tbsp fat-free Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp light mayonnaise
- sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9. Line a baking tray with an ovenproof silicone mat or baking paper.
- Slash the chicken thighs with a sharp knife and put in a bowl. Add 50ml/2fl oz of the peri-peri sauce, the smoked paprika and a little sea salt and pepper. Turn the chicken to coat well in the sauce then lay on the baking tray and cook for 20–25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the dirty rice. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4–5 minutes until starting to brown. Add the peppers and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the paprika and cumin and cook for 1 minute. Grind the saffron with a pestle and mortar and add to the pan with the stock and stock cube. Simmer for 2–3 minutes, stirring, until the stock cube has disolved. Add the rice and warm through for 5 minutes.
- To make the coleslaw, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the chicken from the oven, tip the juices from the tray into the rice and stir through. Cook the rice for a further 2 minutes. Wave a cook’s blowtorch over the surface of the chicken thighs to lightly char, then brush with the remaining peri-peri sauce.
- Serve the chicken with the rice and coleslaw on the side.