Piri piri chicken thighs

How to make piri piri chicken: Piri piri is a popular Portuguese sauce made with African bird’s eye chilies. It is a popular dish in both Portugal and parts of Africa with a spicy, sweet and salty flavor, perfect for both meats and fish.

Piri piri chicken thighs – 6 – 12

2 large red bell peppers, halved
6 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 dried bird’s eye chilies or serrano chilies, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
12 bone in, skin on chicken thighs

Position racks in the middle and upper thirds of the oven. Preheat broiler to high, Lightly coat a large rimmed baking sheet with oil.
Place the bell peppers, onion and garlic (skin on) on the prepared pan. Broil on the top rack, turning often, until charred on all sides – about 8 minutes. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425F.
Heat oil and chilies in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until chilies start to darken in color – about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Coarsely chop the bell peppers and onion, and peel the garlic. Transfer to a blender, add the chilies and oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 teaspoon of salt, oregano, paprika and pepper. Puree until smooth.
Return the sauce to the pan and add bay leaves. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Pat chicken dry with paper towel. Place on the baking sheet, skin side up, sprinkle both sides with the remaining salt and generously brush with 1 1/2 cup of the sauce.
Bake on the upper rack until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching bone, registers 165F – about 30 minutes. Turn the broiler to high and continue coking until the chicken begins to brown – about 2 minutes.
Brush each thigh with another 1 tablespoon of sauce.
Serve with additional sauce and charred lemon wedges (optional).