Piri Piri Chicken with Tomato Rice
Thu, 15 July 2021
Erica Drum's Piri Piri Chicken with Tomato Rice
4 Chicken legs, thigh and drumstick! Or 1 cauliflower head, cut into 4 quarters.
1 red chilli, deseed if too hot for you
2 dried chillies of choice, spicy, super spicy, mild or smoked
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 -5 sprigs thyme, extra for garnish
½ lemon, zest and juice, extra lemon for garnish
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
Sea-salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 white onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 bay leaves
Sea-salt
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
200g long grain white rice, (Carolino is traditional)
500g tomato passata or fresh tomatoes pureed and sieved
Lime for garnish
Rehydrate your chillies by submerging them in boiling water, set aside for a few minutes.
Combine the chillies, garlic and thyme in a small food processor and blend.
Now add the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, smoked paprika, olive oil, honey, sea-salt and a little chilli water.
Blend until everything has come together to make a beautiful silky sauce.
Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Smear your chicken/cauliflower in half of the sauce. You can cook this right away or leave it to marinade for up to 24hours.
Pre heat your oven to 200C and place a grill pan over a high heat. Alternatively you could do the whole thing on the BBQ.
Begin by grilling your chicken/cauliflower on either side for 3-4 minutes.
Place on a baking sheet and pop in the oven for 45 minutes.
If using a BBQ place on the hot grill flesh side down, turn after 5 minutes, close the lid and cook for 30minutes.
Double check the thickest part of your chicken to see it is fully cooked. The outside should be brown and crispy.
Remove from the oven or BBQ and brush some more beautiful sauce all over it while it is still hot.
Serve with sprigs of thyme, lemon wedges and extra sauce on the side.
Begin by placing a large sauce pan or pot over a medium heat.
Add the rice oil and fry your onions gently for a minute or two.
Add in your garlic, bay leaf and some sea salt and allow them to saute for a further 3-4 minutes.
Now mix in the tomato puree, making sure it doesn’t stick to the edge, you can bring down the heat if needs be.
Add in your rice and let it get coated by the onion mixture, I like to cook the rice here for 1 minute while stirring.
Pour in your passata and 200ml water.
Bring this to the boil and then bring the heat down to a simmer.
Place a lid or covering on top and allow to cook for 10-12 minutes. Checking on it and stirring every few minutes.
Serve with some fresh lime.
