BBQ piri-piri chicken recipe

Cooked al fresco, this BBQ piri-piri chicken recipe from chef Helen Graves is just perfect for summer. Using a whole organic chicken, Helen removes the backbone to cook the chicken more evenly, and coats in a spicy chilli marinade for extra flavour. Serve it up with crispy salad or seasonal vegetables for a tasty lunch or dinner that’s perfect for the summer. Don’t forget: you’ll need a blender to make this marinade.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1.7kg organic whole chicken

For the piri piri marinade:

10 organic red chillies, the long, thin variety

5 organic bird’s eye chillies

1½tbsp of dried oregano

6 organic garlic cloves

1tbsp of sweet smoked paprika

1tbsp of organic brown sugar

1tbsp of salt

2 bay leaves

100ml of organic oil

225ml of organic red wine vinegar

Method

Take a pestle and mortar and crush together the bay leaves and salt for the marinade. Transfer to a blender and blitz together with the remaining marinade ingredients – adding the oil and vinegar last to create a smooth mixture.

To prepare the chicken for barbecuing it will need to be spatchcocked (have the backbone removed). Place the whole chicken breast-side down on a chopping board and use scissors to cut down each side of the bone. It may require a little effort to cut through the ribs, but you should then be able to remove the backbone.

Flip the chicken over and push down firmly on the breastbone to flatten out the chicken to a more even thickness. If you struggle with this, you can ask a butcher to do this for you beforehand.

Rub half of the marinade all over the chicken, pushing it into all the nooks and crannies. Reserve the remaining marinade in a clean bowl in the fridge ready for basting the chicken while cooking.

Cover the chicken and set aside to marinade in the fridge for two to three hours. Allow to come up to room temperature an hour before cooking.

To cook, preheat the barbecue. Set up the grill with the coals to one side ready for indirect cooking.

Grill the chicken (away from the coals) for 40 minutes with the breast-side facing upwards. Brush the chicken regularly with the additional marinade then turn over for 15 minutes to finish cooking.

When the breast has crisped up and the meat is cooked all the through, serve carved into slices with a simple green salad or seasonal vegetables.

Created by Helen Graves for The Organic Trade Board’s ‘Organic. Naturally Different’ campaign, courtesy of greatbritishchefs.com