Piri-piri chicken, Guia style

Name: Piri-piri chicken, Guia style
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Portuguese
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken, spatchcocked; 4 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp red-pepper paste; Piri-piri to taste; 50 ml olive oil + 30 g butter; Juice of 1 lemon, salt

Spatchcocked chicken, golden skin and the spicy sauce that made the Algarve famous. Patience over indirect heat, courage over direct.

⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥 Cook: 45 min 👥 Serves: 4 Direct + indirect Difficulty: Média

Method

Season the chicken the day before with garlic, pepper paste, salt and lemon.
Set up two zones: start the bird on the indirect side, skin up.
Cover and cook 35–45 minutes, turning halfway.
Check: 74 °C in the breast, 80 °C in the thigh (probe away from bone).
Finish 3–4 minutes over direct embers, skin down, to crisp.
Brush with the oil, butter and piri-piri sauce when serving.

🌡 Fire & temperature
74 °C breast / 80 °C thigh — poultry has rules, not doneness levels. Pull at 72 °C and rest 8 minutes.
Chef's Station: exact temperatures →

🛍 Recommended product
EKOOLOGY briquettes for the indirect marathon + biocharcoal for the final crisp.
See the products → · Where to buy →

💡 Kool tip: Spatchcocking is half the battle: even cooking and twice the crispy skin.

🍷 Serve it with: Homemade fries and a lettuce salad — never touch a winning formula.

Next recipe: Slow ribs with honey and garlic →