Peri Peri Chicken Thighs
I just picked up the new Peri-Peri sauce and was thinking, what could I do with this? I also wanted to stay on a budget since I don’t normally buy raw meat (because it’s expensive), so I had to investigate. After browsing the meat section of Trader Joe’s, I found that chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs are the cheapest. In case you couldn’t already tell based on the title of this recipe, I chose the thighs. I thought they’d be easier to cook in a cast iron skillet. Yes, you heard correctly. I was gifted a cast iron and this was my first time using it! I’d like to mention before we get cooking that it was a raging success. Here’s how you can create the chicken thighs I made for my Peri-Peri sauce review!
What is Peri-Peri Sauce?
Peri-Peri is a spicy sauce (product of South Africa) made with fermented chilies. The fermentation definitely gives off some vinegar flavor despite there being no actual vinegar on the ingredient list. The creamy consistency allows this to be put on so many things! I’ve used this on chicken (duh), rice, sandwiches and even as a dip with some carrots. My full review (underlined above) shows all of the nutritional info and the ingredient list if you wanted to see what this sauce contains. It is really spicy so if you are looking to use a spice-less sauce, a bbq sauce or teriyaki sauce will work. Any sauce you want to use for this recipe will work!
What You’ll Need
4 bone in chicken thighs
2 tbs oil of choice
Peri-Peri sauce
Seasonings of choice (optional)
How to execute the crispiest skinned chicken thighs:
Preheat your oven to 425.
Take out your chicken thighs and pat them dry.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil in your cast iron skillet and put over medium heat. Once the skillet gets hot, add the thighs SKIN DOWN and do not move them for 10 minutes so that the skin gets crispy. Cover the skillet to avoid splatter.
Once the skin has browned nicely, flip the chicken over (using tongs of course). Transfer the skillet to the oven and let roast for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minute mark, quickly brush the Peri-Peri sauce on top of the chicken and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes or until it is cooked through.
Optional - brush more Peri-Peri sauce on top when you pull the skillet out of the oven (I did this).
Enjoy!
You may be asking - Why no salt?
If you know me, then you know that I try to not add salt to my cooking. I’m not a salt hater but I try to lessen the quantity I consume when I can (because so many other things I eat have tons of it). Luckily, I create recipes that don’t need that extra added salt! The Peri-Peri sauce is the star of the show today. With that being said, no one is saying you can’t use salt. Do whatever your little heart desires and add that salt if you so please, but I do encourage trying it just with the sauce first since it is SO flavorful!