PERI PERI CHICKEN

Ingredients

Peri Peri Sauce:
1 red pepper
½ large red onion, thickly sliced
3 large cloves garlic
1 lemon, zest & divided
6 Tbsp (90 ml) lemon juice, divided
4 Tbsp (60 ml) cider vinegar, divided
1 red Thai chili pepper (optional)
1 tsp (5 ml) smoked paprika
1 tsp (5 ml) oregano
¾ tsp (3.75 ml) salt
½ tsp (2.5 ml) pepper
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup (60 ml) canola oil

12-18 chicken drumsticks

Preparation

Note: The small red Thai chili peppers (also known as bird's eye peppers) give this sauce it's heat.  Use fewer chili peppers for a milder sauce.

Peri Peri Sauce:
Sauce can be made 1-2 days ahead. Grill or broil red pepper and onion slices until grill marks appear. Remove from heat. Remove the red pepper stem and seeds: chop the pepper and onions.

In a food processor or blender, combine the red pepper, onion, garlic, half the lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 2 Tbsp cider vinegar, chili pepper, smoked paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Puree.

Transfer to saucepan, add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let sauce cool to lukewarm.

Remove bay leaves and pour sauce back into food processor. Add remaining lemon zest, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp cider vinegar. With the processor running, slowly add the canola oil in a thin stream. Divide sauce into 2 containers (makes about 2 cups). Use one container of sauce for cooking, save the other one for serving. Refrigerate until needed.

Chicken:
Put the chicken in large re-sealable plastic bag. Add about ¼ cup of Peri Peri Sauce into the bag: seal it and gently turn the bag so all the chicken is covered with sauce. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat grill to medium, or set oven to 400F. Cook chicken, brushing with sauce every 15 minutes, until meat thermometer reads 165F (74C) (about 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the pieces).

Remove from heat and let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with the saved Peri Peri Sauce.