Peri Peri Chicken Skewers with a Butter Sauce
I recently had dinner at a South African restaurant and one item we tried from the menu was a whole roasted peri peri chicken. Poured all on top of the chicken was this fiery butter sauce and there came the inspiration for this recipe. These peri peri chicken skewers are simple to put together yet pack a punch when it comes to flavour- smoky, spicy and zesty.. The butter sauce is the cherry on top that turns these skewers into something truly special.
What goes in the Peri Peri Marinade
The Base: Red poblano pepper, red chillies, yellow onion, basil, garlic
Spices: Garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, dried parsley, ground coriander, black pepper, white pepper, sugar, salt
Liquids: Lemon juice, white vinegar, water, avocado oil
Cooking the Chicken
Peri peri chicken is always the best when it's accompanied by a subtle smoky-ness. This usually comes from being grilled outside on a charcoal grill. Though firing up the bbq is not always an option, there's other ways to achieve something similar indoors. I recommend using a cast iron grill pan and cooking these skewers on a very high heat, which should create a lot of smoke. If your fire alarm goes off (as did mine), you're doing great- just make sure to keep your fan running on high and have some windows open. Other ways to infuse the chicken with that smoky flavour could be done by adding liquid smoke to the marinade or baking in the oven and using charcoal at the end to smoke with the chicken.
Making the Butter Sauce
These peri peri chicken skewers pair perfectly with a butter sauce- made using some of the same marinade we used for the chicken. The butter sauce is made by heating the reserved peri peri liquid on a gentle simmer then whisking in kewpie mayo until it's fully mixed in with the sauce. The mayonnaise acts as an emulsifier for the butter, which ensures the sauce we're creating will form a thick uniform sauce rather than splitting. Cold knobs of butter are then slowly whisked in with a sprinkling of smoked paprika and garlic powder going in at the end. I have kept the butter sauce recipe simple intentionally and it's delicious as is. Though, feel free to spice it up with some red pepper flakes for extra heat or fresh parsley and chives for that added herby flavour.
These peri peri chicken skewers are marinated in a spicy, tangy blend of chili, garlic, and citrus, then grilled to perfection for a smoky, bold flavor. Drizzled with a rich lemon butter sauce, they offer a delightful contrast of heat and creamy, zesty goodness in every bite.
- 1-1.5 lb. chicken thighs
- 1 red poblano pepper (roasted)
- 2-3 long red chilis
- 1 yellow onion (small)
- 4-6 basil leaves
- 4-6 garlic cloves (large)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 whole lemon juice (1/4 cup)
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 2 tbsp water
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- Green onion (garnish)
- 3-4 tbsp Peri Peri marinade
- 1 tbsp Kewpie mayo
- 1 stick Butter
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- Cut up boneless skinless chicken thighs into bite sized pieces
- For the peri peri marinade, get a pan on high heat and add a small amount oil. Place the red pepper on the hot pan pressing on the skin to flatten. Cover with a lid and cook on high-medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side. The skin should be charred and the pepper should be soft.
- Allow the pepper to cool for about 10 minutes then use a knife to shave off the burnt skin.
- Place the roasted red pepper in a food processor along with red chilis, yellow onion, garlic cloves, fresh basil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, dried parsley, ground coriander, black pepper, white pepper, salt and sugar. Pour in lemon juice, white vinegar and water then blend for about 30-60 seconds. While the processor is blending, slowly stream in the oil until the marinade is well combined.
- Reserve 3-4 tbsp of the marinade for the butter sauce then pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Arrange the marinated chicken on metal skewers. Make sure the skewers fit into the grill pan you are using.
- Get a grill pan heated for about 2-3 minutes on high-medium heat. Grill the chicken skewers for about 8-10 minutes per side or until an internal temperature of 165 is reached.
- For the butter sauce, pour the remaining peri peri marinade into a pan on high-medium heat. Allow to simmer for about 20-30 seconds then reduce the heat to medium and whisk in kewpie mayo. Once the kewpie mayo is combined slowly add in a couple cold knobs of butter at a time whisking quickly to combine. Once you get to the last knobs of butter add in smoked paprika and garlic powder and whisk together. Add salt and pepper to the butter sauce according to taste.
- Pour the butter sauce over the chicken skewers, and garnish with green onion.