Portuguese Chicken ( Peri Peri Chicken) with Crispy Potatoes

Both D and I liked the smokiness of this chicken, but we both thought it would be spicier.  Either way, it was really good. The sauce on the potatoes was good too.  D said he thinks it would be better with chicken thighs on the grill.  So we'll probably try that.  We had with broccoli.

Portuguese Chicken ( Peri Peri Chicken) with Crispy Potatoes

Photo by ALB

Author: Sylvia Fountaine| Feasting at Home

PrepTime: 20 mins
Cook Time: 70 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Yield: 6 (we got 5 servings)

Ingredients

1 small Whole Chicken (3–4 lbs) or sub chicken pieces ( see notes)
1 ½ lbs potatoes (yukon or reds), thinly sliced

Marinade:
2 Dried Ancho Chilies-re-hydrated
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
6 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon coriander
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar, red wine vinegar or lemon juice.
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Cilantro Sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 bunch Cilantro – finely chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coriander
Cracked pepper to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F

Rehydrate dried chilies in small pot of boiling water on the stove for 20 minutes.

Butterfly the chicken: Rinse inside and out, removing innards. Pat dry. Place on a cutting board, breast down. Using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the spine, remove and discard. Turn the chicken over, and placing your hand on the breast bone, press down hard with the palm of your hand, to flatten. Make the marinade by blending the marinate ingredients into a paste with a blender or food processor. Brush a layer of marinade on the bottom of your large sheet pan.

Place the thinly sliced potatoes on top of the marinade and sprinkle with a generous pinch of kosher salt, not overlapping slightly but not too much.

Brush all sides and crevasses of the chicken with the marinade, coating fairly heavily. (You will add more marinade during cooking, so be sure to save the remaining.) Place chicken, skin side down on the potatoes and place in the hot oven.

Turn chicken over after 15 minutes, and place back in the oven. After 15 minutes, brush more marinade all over the chicken on the skin side, really lathering it up. Return to the oven and bake until cooked through another 15-30 minutes, or until leg/ thigh reaches internal temperature of 165 F. The bigger the chicken, the longer this will take. ( A large, 5-6 pound chicken may take an additional 20 minutes!) To crisp the skin and get it deeply brown, broil for a few minutes. A little char is good here!!! Remove chicken when done and let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Cut chicken into pieces and serve.

While chicken is roasting, combine Cilantro Sauce ingredients together, either in a bowl- mixing by hand, or in a food processor. Serve cilantro sauce on the side.

Notes
For a healthier version, use skinless boneless chicken thighs, or breast. Feel free to marinate overnight in a zip lock bag. Cooking time will shorten significantly, so you may have to remove chicken and let potatoes continue cooking to get them crispy.

For WHOLE CHICKENS! The baking time for the chicken will vary depending on the size (weight) of the chicken. This one in the photos was a small 3.5 pound chicken. Larger 5-6 lb chickens will take longer in the oven ( 70-90 minutes). So plan accordingly.

Use a large rimmed metal sheet pan, rather than a glass baking dish so air can circulate and potatoes can get crispy! (This enamel baking dish in the photos is much larger than it looks! )

9 Smart Points (my additions/subtractions at 5 servings, not including the chicken, but including the potatoes)