Name: Peri-Peri Chicken Wings (Piri-Piri)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1000 g chicken wings; 1 piece lemon; 0 salt; 0 black pepper; 6 piece bird's-eye chili; 5 clove garlic; 0.5 piece red bell pepper; 0.5 piece onion; 1 tbsp paprika; 60 ml olive oil; 1 tbsp red wine vinegar; 1 tsp brown sugar

Peri-Peri Chicken Wings (Piri-Piri)

Mozambique's fiery street-side favorite, scaled down to wings for the grill. These get a deep red piri-piri marinade and turn smoky and charred over open coals.

🇲🇿 Mozambique ·Africa · $

20 min Prep

20 min Cook

40 min Total

4 portions

Peri-Peri Chicken Wings come from the Portuguese-African piri-piri tradition of Mozambique, where piri-piri chicken is treated as the national dish and wings are a popular braai and grill cut. The wings are marinated in a fiery sauce built on African bird's-eye chili (piri-piri), garlic, lemon, and paprika, then grilled until the skin chars and crisps. There is no batter and no breading here, just bare skin caramelizing directly over the heat. The marinade doubles as a basting sauce, so the wings stay glossy, spicy, and lemony from start to finish. Expect serious heat from the bird's-eye chili, balanced by the citrus and a little smoke from the coals. Serve them straight off the grill with extra sauce on the side and plenty of napkins.

Ingredients

1000 g chicken wings split into flats and drumettes, tips removed, patted dry

1 piece lemon juiced; reserve a wedge for serving

0 salt to taste, plus more for brining if desired

0 black pepper to taste

Piri-Piri Marinade

6 piece bird's-eye chili African piri-piri; Thai bird's chili works; adjust to heat tolerance

5 clove garlic peeled

0.5 piece red bell pepper deseeded and roughly chopped

0.5 piece onion roughly chopped

1 tbsp paprika smoked or sweet

60 ml olive oil

1 tbsp red wine vinegar for extra tang (optional)

1 tsp brown sugar balances the heat and helps the skin caramelize (optional)

Ingredients

4 portions

Ingredients

1000 gchicken wings split into flats and drumettes, tips removed, patted dry

1 piecelemon juiced; reserve a wedge for serving

salt to taste, plus more for brining if desired

black pepper to taste

Piri-Piri Marinade

6 piecebird's-eye chili African piri-piri; Thai bird's chili works; adjust to heat tolerance

5 clovegarlic peeled

0.5 piecered bell pepper deseeded and roughly chopped

0.5 pieceonion roughly chopped

1 tbsppaprika smoked or sweet

60 mlolive oil

1 tbspred wine vinegar for extra tang (optional)

1 tspbrown sugar balances the heat and helps the skin caramelize (optional)

Instructions

Make the piri-piri marinade

1

Combine the bird's-eye chili, garlic, red bell pepper, onion, paprika, and a good pinch of salt in a blender or food processor.
~3 min
2

Add the lemon juice and blend until fairly smooth, then pour in the olive oil (and the optional vinegar and brown sugar) and blend again into a loose, pourable paste.
~2 min

Marinate the wings

1

Pat the wings completely dry and season lightly with salt and black pepper.
~5 min
2

Set aside about a third of the marinade for basting and serving. Toss the wings with the remaining marinade until fully coated.
~5 min
3

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight for the deepest flavor.
~120 min

Grill until charred

1

Heat a charcoal braai or grill to medium-high. Shake excess marinade off the wings so they char instead of steaming.
~5 min
2

Grill the wings about 8 to 10 minutes per side, turning so the skin chars and crisps without burning, until cooked through and the juices run clear.
~18 min
3

Brush the wings with the reserved marinade in the last couple of minutes for a glossy, spicy finish.
~2 min
4

Rest briefly, then squeeze the reserved lemon wedge over the top and serve hot with extra piri-piri sauce on the side.
~2 min

Credits & Inspiration

Chili Pepper Madness
Wings-specific recipe with a homemade African bird's-eye chili piri-piri sauce, used before and after grilling.
Immaculate Bites
Mozambican peri-peri grilled chicken with a blended marinade of garlic, onion, bell pepper, herbs, and oil.
Food Sturvs
Mozambican-style wings using African bird's-eye chili, paprika, lemon, and brown sugar.
Remitly
Background on piri-piri chicken as Mozambique's national dish and its Portuguese-African history.