My kid used to love chicken so much that she got bored of eating all kinds of chicken dishes, until I introduced her to peri peri chicken wings.
It took her no time at all to come out of her hatred of chicken and come to love the delicious homemade peri peri chicken wings I learned to make in a cooking class.
This chicken is packed with bold peri peri flavor and a treat for those with a savory palate. It is crispy on the outside and completely juicy on the inside.
The best thing about this chicken dish is that you do not have to stand beside a hot stovetop for a long time to make it. Instead, you can actually bake the chicken wings in the oven, which makes for a much healthier chicken wing appetizer.
Once you taste the bold and smoky flavor profile of these peri peri wings, you will fall in love and simply can’t go back. You will also fall in love with the fact that the preparation of this dish is quite simple and easy.
So, without further ado, let me tell you everything that you need to know to make these special chicken wings at home.
Why You’ll Love These Peri Peri Chicken Wings
- Baked peri peri chicken wings that are crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
- Bold, smoky, and spicy peri peri wings.
- Crispy peri peri chicken wings that are easy to make at home.
- Perfect appetizer to make for parties and game days.
- Pantry ingredients are simple and easy to get.
- Less mess and hassle to make because you bake them.
What Is Peri Peri Chicken?
The peri peri chicken recipe I am talking about today is a juicy grilled chicken dish that you make with African bird’s eye chilies, garlic, and lemon juice.
It originates from Africa and Portugal, where a distinct hot and charred taste is preferred and enjoyed. The name comes from the word Swahili, which means pepper-pepper.
You make it with crushed chilis mixed into an oily paste to make the peri peri sauce that you use to baste the chicken.
The spicy flavor comes from the peri peri seasoning’s bird’s eye chili that gives the sauce a sharp kick. There is an acidic flavor from the fresh lemon juice and vinegar used to make the appetizer.
As for the smoky flavor profile, you grilled the chicken wings in the oven, which caramelizes the oils and creates charred edges, while the insides stay juicy.
Ingredients You’ll Need for peri peri wings
- Chicken: You will have to use chicken wings with their skins on to make this Portuguese-inspired chicken.
- Peri Peri Seasoning: While you use different kinds of seasonings to make this easy peri peri chicken wings, using peri peri seasoning gives it the original African flavor profile.
- Garlic: Using garlic in the recipe will give the chicken a savory depth and a pungent aroma that can balance the heat of the chilis.
- Lemon Juice: This gives the chicken a bright, tangy, and acidic flavor, helps tenderize the chicken, and cuts through the fat.
- Oil: Using vegetable oil will keep the chicken juicy and make the skin of the chicken crispy in the oven.
- Paprika: Paprika will make the spicy chicken wings a rich red color and also give it a mild sweetness and smoky undertone, like how you would get from open-flame grilling.
- Herbs: Herbs like coriander give the crispy baked wings an earthy flavor profile.
- Salt: To season the chicken perfectly.
- Pepper: Enhances all the existing flavors and draws out the moisture from the skin to make it crispy.
- Fresh Parsley: To garnish the oven-baked chicken wings.
- Lemon Wedges: You can also use lemon wedges to garnish the appetizer.
Homemade Peri Peri Seasoning vs Store-Bought
Homemade Seasoning
You can use store-bought peri peri seasoning to make the homemade peri peri sauce, but with homemade seasoning, you get a fresher flavor, and you can also customize the spice level to your heart’s desire.
Store-Bought
Using store-bought peri peri seasoning for the chicken wing marinade can make everything easier for you, as you will not have to think about how to make the seasoning taste right. It also creates a consistent taste.
Honestly, both options are great depending on what you are looking for in your oven-baked peri peri chicken wings.
Tips for Peri Peri Chicken Wings
- After you wash the chicken, you should pat them dry before marinating them.
- You should never overcrowd the tray before baking; otherwise, your chicken might not cook through.
- Always flip the chicken wings halfway through baking to make sure they are cooked evenly.
- You should use a wire rack to give the chicken a grill-like flavor.
- You can marinate the chicken for 2 hours, but the more you marinate, the better.
- Try broiling the chicken briefly if you want extra crispiness.
What to Serve with Peri Peri Chicken Wings
- French Fries: These game day wings will taste great if you have them with French fries.
- Potato Wedges: Just like French fries, this chicken wing recipe goes well with another kind of potato appetizer, which are potato wedges.
- Coleslaw: If you want a milder and balanced meal, you can have these wings with a side of coleslaw.
- Garlic Bread: These chicken wings taste absolutely amazing with garlic bread.
- Corn on the Cob: You should definitely try having these wings with corn on the cob at least once.
- Rice: Make a nice meal out of this appetizer by eating it with rice.
- Grilled Vegetables: Add some grilled vegetables to the dish to have a proper grilled meal.
- Fresh Salad: If you are a salad person, you will love the wings with some.
- Creamy Dip: Make a creamy dip sauce with mayonnaise to eat with the peri peri wings.
Storage & Freezing Tips
- After cooling down the wings to room temperature, store the leftovers in the refrigerator in a shallow and airtight container within two hours of cooking.
- Transfer the wings into a heavy-duty freezer bag to prevent sticking and squeeze all the air out before freezing.
- You can reheat the chicken wings in the air fryer, oven, or skillet. Just splash a bit of oil to keep them from drying out.
- To keep the wings crispy, you should pat them dry after taking them out of the refrigerator, and you can reheat them on a metal rack over your baking sheet.
Peri Peri Chicken Wings Recipe – Juicy, Spicy & Better Than Takeout
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp / 16 g Tomato Paste
- ½ cup / 120 ml Vegetable Oil
- 4 tbsp / 60 ml Fresh Lemon Juice
- 4 tbsp / 60 ml White Vinegar
- 1 kg Chicken Wings (skin on)
- 5 pieces Mixed Peppers
- 8 pieces Bird’s Eye Chilies
- 1 medium-sized Red Onion
- 8 cloves Garlic
- ¼ cup chopped Coriander
- 1 tsp / 5 ml Lemon Zest
- 1 tsp / 6 g Salt
- 1 tsp / 2 g Black Pepper
- 1 tsp / 4 g Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp / 2 g Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp / 2 g Chili Powder
- 1 tsp / 2 g Oregano
- 1 tsp / 0.1 g Mixed Herbs
- 2 tbsp / 28 g Butter
Equipments
Instructions
Prepare the Wings
- Wash the chicken wings and pat them dry.
Make the Marinade
- Add mixed peppers, bird’s eye chilies, red onion, garlic, chopped coriander, lemon zest, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano, mixed herbs, tomato paste, vegetable oil, and fresh lemon juice into a blender and blend until smooth.
Coat and Marinate
- Coat the wings with the marinade and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
Bake Until
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220 °C).
- Bake for 25-30 minutes and flip the wings halfway through baking.
Rest and Serve
- Let the chicken rest while simmering the leftover marinade with butter.
- Mix the chicken with the marinade and serve.
Common Mistakes & Troubleshooting
- If your wings don’t come out crispy, it means that there was too much moisture on the surface or you overcrowded the tray. Pat the wings dry before baking to avoid this.
- Your chicken might come out too dry if you overcook the wings or bake for too long at a low temperature. Make sure to bake the wings at the mentioned temperature for only 25-30 minutes.
- If there is a high content of sugar in your marinade, it can burn. So, make sure you blend the marinade into a smooth paste and scrape off the excess chinky bits before baking to avoid this.
- If your chicken might taste less spicy, just poke some holes in them to let the marinade penetrate better.
- The chicken skin might end up rubbery if the oven heat was too low when baking. You can fix this by dusting the raw wings with a bit of baking powder before marinating.
- If your chicken wings are sticking to the pan, it means raw skin is touching a cold and ungreased baking sheet. The solution is to bake the wings on a greased metal wire rack inside your baking sheet.
Variations & Helpful Swaps
- You can air fry your chicken wings for an air fryer peri peri wings version.
- You can actually grill your chicken wings over an open flame.
- Add more bird’s eye chilies and paprika if you want extra spicy peri peri chicken wings.
- Adjust the spice level by using fewer bird’s eye chilies and black pepper for a mild, kid-friendly party food recipe.
- Debone the chicken wings before marinating to get boneless peri peri chicken wings.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen chicken wings?
Yes, you can use frozen chicken wings to make these peri peri wings, but you should always thaw the chicken properly before marinating them.
Can I grill peri peri chicken wings?
Yes. You can absolutely grill your peri peri chicken wings over open flame for smokier and crispier chicken appertizers.
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