1
Blend sauce
Blend piri-piri chiles, garlic, lemon juice, roasted pepper, paprika, oregano, vinegar, olive oil, and salt into a punchy sauce.
Mozambique | Main dish
Piri Piri Chicken
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
4
Level
medium
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
The sauce is both marinade and basting brush. Let it sit with the chicken long enough to stain the meat, then grill until smoky and glossy.
What the dish tastes like
Mozambican piri piri chicken, spatchcocked and grilled with African bird's-eye chile, garlic, lemon, vinegar, paprika, and oil.
When to cook it
Best for everyday meals, with a medium cooking level and 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 verified 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 photos
See the dish before you cook
Each recipe supports one main image and up to four extra prep, serving, or step photos when they are available.
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
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
5 steps
305 min total
medium
2
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
3
Grill and baste
Grill over medium-hot charcoal, turning and basting regularly until the skin is burnished and smoky.
Grill chicken
45:00
4
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
5
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.