Peri Peri Chicken Skewers with Red Pepper and Lime
These peri peri chicken skewers combine chicken thighs, red pepper, garlic, chilli and lime in a bold marinade made for the BBQ. They cook quickly, stay juicy and deliver the sort of smoky, punchy heat that works brilliantly with flatbreads, slaw or rice.
Ingredients
- 800 g boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 3 to 4cm pieces
- 2 medium red peppers one roughly chopped for the marinade, one cut into chunks for skewering
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 red chillies deseeded if you want gentler heat
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime cut into wedges for serving
- 1 small red onion cut into chunks for skewering
- 8 to 10 metal skewers or bamboo skewers soaked in water
Instructions
Make the peri peri marinade
- Add the chopped red pepper, garlic, red chillies, tomato purée, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, black pepper, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, lime juice and olive oil to a blender. Blitz until smooth and thick.
- Pour the marinade over the chicken thighs in a bowl and mix well so every piece is coated. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, though 4 hours gives a fuller flavour. I wouldn’t leave it much beyond 8 hours because the lime can start to change the texture too much.
Prepare the skewers
- Thread the marinated chicken onto skewers, alternating with chunks of red pepper and red onion. Don’t pack everything too tightly. A little space between pieces helps the heat move around the food and gives you better caramelisation.
- Set the skewers on a tray while you prepare the barbecue. Letting them lose a bit of fridge chill for 15 to 20 minutes helps them cook more evenly.
Set up the BBQ
- Preheat your BBQ for medium-high cooking, around 200 to 230C at grill level if you’re tracking temperatures. Clean and oil the grates lightly. Arrange the fire so you have a direct heat zone and a cooler zone.
- If you’re using charcoal, wait until the coals are mostly ashed over before cooking. Raw, raging coals make it much harder to control the sugars in the marinade and you’ll end up with black patches before the chicken is done.
Grill the peri peri chicken skewers
- Place the skewers over direct heat first and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning as they colour. Once they’ve picked up a bit of char, move them to the cooler side and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes with the lid down, turning once or twice.
- The chicken is ready when it is cooked through and lightly charred at the edges, with an internal temperature of 74C. Rest the skewers for 3 to 5 minutes, then squeeze over lime juice just before serving.
Serve while the edges are still smoky
- Pile the skewers onto a warm platter and spoon over any resting juices. Serve with lime wedges and a simple yoghurt drizzle if you want a cooling finish.
- I like to get these to the table while the peppers are still soft and glossy and the chicken still has that just-off-the-grill sheen. That’s when the aroma is at its best.
Notes
Chicken thighs are my first choice here. They stay moister than breast meat over live fire, and they’re much more forgiving if one end of the grill runs a little hotter than the other. You still get a nice bite, but without that slightly stringy feel chicken breast can pick up when skewered and cooked fast.
The red pepper in the marinade is worth keeping. It softens the sharpness of the chillies and adds a faint sweetness that rounds out the peri peri profile. Fresh lime juice works better than bottled for me because the flavour feels cleaner and less flat. If your chillies are fierce, remove the seeds and inner membranes, then taste the marinade before adding it all to the chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 33gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 690mgPotassium: 760mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 2150IUCalcium: 42mgIron: 2.3mg
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