Copycat Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Recipe
This delicious copycat Nando’s Peri Peri chicken recipe is flavorful and delicious, marinated in a spicy chili pepper sauce for 24 hours and grilled to perfection! It’s spicy, loaded with flavor, and a great way to cook a whole chicken on the grill, using chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
Start by making a quick and easy homemade peri peri sauce (or using a store-bought version) and marinating your chicken in it for up to 48 hours. Cook the chicken on the grill, and serve with grilled corn or grilled pepper and onion kabobs. A delicious copycat recipe that is simple to make at home.
Want more copycat chicken recipes? Try our copycat Bahama Breeze jerk chicken pasta, our copycat Olive Garden Chicken Giardino recipe, and our favorite Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowls!
There’s nothing better than a delicious and spicy grilled chicken, especially when it’s been marinating in peri peri sauce! The delicious smoky garlicky flavor of the sauce gets into every ounce of the chicken, making it ideal for grilling. I worked right next to a Nando’s in Washington D.C. and went there weekly, so I had to make a copycat version that I can enjoy now that I’ve moved away from my favorite chicken joint.
Start by quartering your chicken (follow our step-by-step directions below) and covering the chicken in the spicy chili sauce. This recipe is great with peri peri mac and cheese, coleslaw, grilled vegetables, or serve with grilled corn.
Notes from Our Kitchen
- This is a fantastic copycat Nando’s chicken recipe!
- The peri peri sauce makes this chicken spicy and flavorful.
- It’s a great recipe to make for company or a gathering.
- You can easily double or triple this recipe if you are grilling for a crowd.
- Follow our step-by-step photos and directions below to make this dish successfully everytime!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
The star of this recipe is the chicken. You can start by quartering a whole chicken, or using cut bone-in chicken breasts or thighs. Use whatever cut of chicken you enjoy most, both the chicken breasts or thighs work well in this recipe. Or use both at once!
This recipe uses a peri peri sauce which is a traditional South African sauce made with bird’s eye chili peppers, lemon, garlic, and vinegar. It’s easy to make at home in your blender or food processor. You could also buy a peri peri sauce in the store, Nando’s does sell their sauce in grocery stores.
Finish the dish with an extra coat of peri peri sauce, and also a little fresh lemon for an extra kick of flavor. I found the lemon really adds a nice taste at the end of the chicken once it’s been grilled.
Additions and Substitutions
You can use a store-bought peri peri sauce, or other commercial hot sauce that you prefer for this recipe. If the traditional Nando’s sauce is too spicy, you can try one of their milder flavors or the garlic sauce too.
I have a great copycat Nando’s peri peri sauce recipe on this site that tastes just as good as the real deal! I highly recommend it if you are an adventurous cook.
In the instructions below, I quartered the whole chicken myself, but you can use pre-cut chicken or ask the butcher to quarter the chicken for you.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Quarter the chicken, carefully cut out the backbone using kitchen shears. Separate each leg and thigh quarter from the body, the chop the remaining breasts in half. Place the quartered chicken in a bowl or large gallon bag.
Step 2: Add the Peri Peri hot sauce to the chicken to marinate, and add water to cover the chicken. Marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours in the hot sauce.
Step 3: Heat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 4: Add the marinated chicken pieces to the grill, and cook for 30-40 minutes, flipping and turning the chicken occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the chicken.
Step 5: Remove the chicken from the grill and add the fresh lemon juice on top of the cooked meat. Serve with more peri peri sauce if desired, and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Can you make Nando’s Chicken at home?
Yes! You can either use bottled Nando’s per-peri sauce, or make your own sauce by following our recipe below. Marinate the chicken for at least 24 hours, and throw it on the grill for delicious and tender spiced chicken that is perfect every time.
If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Yes, using pre-cut chicken is a great way to save some time. Make sure you get bone-in chicken so it’s as close to Nando’s recipe as you can get at home.
Expert Tips
- Be careful if you are quartering the chicken yourself. You need a good bit of force to get a sharp knife through the chicken bones, so be sure to take extra precautions and use a very sharp knife.
- You can always ask your butcher to quarter a chicken for you at the store. I have done that, and they are usually more than happy to oblige.
- You can also use any bone-in chicken breasts or chicken thighs from the store.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
- Air Fryer Mango Chicken Recipe
- Instant Pot Chicken Marbella Recipe
- Chicken Ratatouille Stew Recipe
- Oven Baked Chicken Shawarma Skewers Recipe
- Orange Chicken with Marmalade Recipe
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Copycat Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 5-lb whole chicken quartered
- 2 cups Nandos’s Peri Peri Sauce or see our copycat sauce recipe below
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 lb bird’s eye chilis
- 1 red bell pepper seeds and stem removed
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 sweet onion
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 lemons zested and juiced
Method
- If making your own peri-peri sauce, add all the sauce ingredients into a food processor. Start by processing on low speed, then working your way up to high until the sauce is smooth and well-blended. Set aside.
- Quarter the chicken, carefully cut out the backbone using kitchen shears. Separate each leg and thigh quarter from the body, the chop the remaining breasts in half. Place the quartered chicken in a bowl or large gallon bag.
- Add the Peri Peri hot sauce to the chicken to marinate, and add water to cover the chicken. Marinate the chicken for up to 48 hours in the hot sauce.
- Heat the grill to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add the marinated chicken pieces to the grill, and cook for 30-40 minutes, flipping and turning the chicken occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the thickest part of the chicken.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and add the fresh lemon juice on top of the cooked meat. Serve with more peri peri sauce if desired, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Private Notes
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