Peri-peri is a Portuguese-African chile sauce born in Mozambique—bright, citrusy, garlicky, and unapologetically spicy. Thread marinated chicken onto skewers and grill until the sauce caramelizes into a fiery red glaze. Use your tortilla as a glove to slide the chicken right off the skewer, capturing every bit of that charred, spicy crust. This is the stuff that made Nando's famous.←Back to Taco Base Recipes
1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
Make peri-peri sauce: Blend chiles, lemon juice, 2 tbsp oil, garlic, paprika, oregano, vinegar, and salt until mostly smooth. It should be bright red and smell aggressively spicy. If your eyes water a little, you're on the right track.
Reserve 1/4 cup sauce in a clean cup for finishing.
Marinate chicken with remaining sauce 1–2 hours (not included in prep time—this is potent stuff and needs time to work its way in).
Thread the marinated chicken onto 6 skewers, dividing evenly so each skewer has about 4 pieces (roughly one taco portion per skewer). Leave a little space between pieces. The sauce should coat every piece like armor. If using wooden skewers, soak them for 30 minutes first.
Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush grates with the remaining 1 tbsp oil.
Grill the skewers for 10–12 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken hits 165°F/74°C and develops deep char on multiple sides. The sauce will caramelize and stick to the chicken like it's been glued on.
Here's the move: Hold a warm tortilla in one hand like a mitt. Grab a skewer and use the tortilla to slide the chicken chunks right off the skewer and onto the tortilla. One skewer makes one perfectly portioned taco with every bit of that charred, spicy crust.
Off heat, toss with reserved sauce for a final hit of brightness. The chicken should look fiery and charred, with visible bits of chile and garlic. Basically, it should look dangerous.
Mild option: Use 3 chiles instead of 6, and remove the seeds. You'll still get the citrus-garlic flavor with manageable heat.
Chef's Notes
You can absolutely use store-bought peri-peri sauce here (about 1/2 cup)—look for Nando's brand or other Portuguese-style hot sauces. If you can't find African bird's eye chiles, substitute Thai bird's eye chiles or 2 tsp red pepper flakes plus 1 tsp cayenne. The tortilla-skewer technique captures all that precious charred sauce that would otherwise be lost. Make a double batch of sauce and keep it in the fridge—it lasts weeks and improves everything it touches.
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