~697 cal · 100g protein · 6g carbs · 25g fat (estimated, per serving)
🍽️
Charred butterflied piri-piri chicken with lime on a grill
🇲🇿 Maputo
Piri-piri chicken was born on this coast, where Portuguese settlers met the African bird’s-eye chili and Maputo’s beachside grills perfected the marriage. The world knows the franchise version; Mozambique knows the original, basted over charcoal with lime and laughter.
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Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
Ingredients
Serves 4 —
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1 (about 3.5 lbs) whole chicken, butterflied
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6–10 African bird’s-eye chilies (piri-piri), or red bird chilies
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6 cloves garlic
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2 lemons
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2 tbsp red wine vinegar
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1 tbsp sweet paprika
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1 tsp dried oregano
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1/3 cup olive oil
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2 tsp salt
Instructions
1
Blend the chilies, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, paprika, oregano, oil, and salt into the piri-piri sauce. Reserve a third for basting and serving.
2
Coat the butterflied chicken (or cauliflower and tofu) and marinate 4 hours or overnight.
3
Grill skin-down over medium coals (or roast at 425°F), turning every 10 minutes and basting with reserved sauce, about 35–40 minutes total.
4
Rest 10 minutes, cut into quarters, and serve with the last of the sauce, extra lemon, and fries or crusty rolls.
Maputo beachside grill tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination
📍
Maputo. Where Portuguese fire met the African bird’s-eye chili.
🗺️
Mozambique. An Indian Ocean coast where piri-piri was born.
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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.
The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.
👩🍳
Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker
Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →
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