Mozambique | Main dish

Piri Piri Chicken

Name: Piri Piri Chicken
Prep time: 260 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 305 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mozambique, East Africa
Ingredients: 1½ kg whole chicken, spatchcocked; 10 whole piri piri chilies, stems removed; 6 cloves garlic; 2 whole lemons, juiced; 1 tbsp paprika, smoked; 1 tsp oregano, dried; ½ cup olive oil; 2 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp salt; 1 whole red bell pepper, roasted; 2 whole limes, halved

Mozambican piri piri chicken, spatchcocked and grilled with African bird's-eye chile, garlic, lemon, vinegar, paprika, and oil.

Country

Mozambique

Region

East Africa

Time

305 min

Serves

Level

medium

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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

Main dish

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Blender

Knife & board

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Mozambique

5 steps 260 min prep 45 min cook (check method) 305 min total medium

Blend sauce

Blend piri-piri chiles, garlic, lemon juice, roasted pepper, paprika, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, and salt into a punchy sauce.

Marinate chicken

Score the spatchcocked chicken, rub with most of the sauce, and chill for at least four hours or overnight. Reserve some sauce for basting.

Marinate chicken 240:00

Grill and baste

Grill over medium-hot charcoal, turning and basting regularly until the skin is burnished and smoky.

Grill chicken 45:00

Check and rest

Cook until juices run clear and the thickest part reaches 75C. Rest before cutting so the juices settle.

Rest chicken 10:00

Serve

Cut into pieces and squeeze lime over the top. Serve with rice, fries, matapa, or extra piri-piri sauce.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for everyday meals. Plan on a medium cook. Allow about 305 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Matapa, rice, fries, tomato salad, lime wedges, or extra piri-piri sauce

Regional lane

Mozambique national table. A structured Mozambique dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Skipping the resting time after grilling.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.

How you know it is ready

The surface should be deeply colored while the center stays juicy.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Recipe illustrations

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Grilled piri-piri chicken with a cut breast, chilli sauce and lime; recipe illustration — Piri Piri Chicken finished dish · Recipe illustration

Chef board

Build the table around Piri Piri Chicken

Matapa, rice, fries, tomato salad, lime wedges, or extra piri-piri sauce

Best route from here

Mozambique national table

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