Peri-peri chicken with spicy rice

Chicken thighs marinated in a hot, garlicky chilli and lemon sauce and roasted until sticky, in the style Portuguese settlers took to Mozambique and Angola. With a smoky tomato rice, it beats the high-street version.

Ingredients

• 900 g Chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
• 4 Fresh chillies, red bird's eye, roughly chopped
• 0.5 Peppers, red, roughly chopped
• 0.4 Garlic, peeled
• 1 Lemons, zested and juiced
• 6 g Smoked paprika
• 2 g Dried oregano
• 20 ml Red wine vinegar
• 50 ml Olive oil
• 5 g Salt
• 300 g Basmati rice
• 1 Onions, finely chopped
• 1 Peppers, diced
• 0.1 Garlic, crushed
• 30 g Tomato purée
• 4 g Paprika
• 1 g Chilli powder
• 1 g Ground turmeric
• 1 Vegetable stock cubes
• 100 g Frozen peas
• 15 ml Vegetable oil

Method

1. Blend the chillies, half pepper, garlic, lemon zest and juice, smoked paprika, oregano, vinegar, olive oil and salt to a loose sauce. Keep a few spoonfuls aside for serving.
2. Slash the chicken thighs, rub in the rest of the sauce and leave to marinate (or overnight in the fridge).
3. Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Roast the thighs skin-side up on a lined tray until cooked through and charred at the edges.
4. Meanwhile, soften the onion and diced pepper in the oil, then add the garlic, tomato purée, paprika, chilli and turmeric for a minute.
5. Stir in the rinsed rice, then add 600ml boiling water and crumble in the stock cube. Cover and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, adding the peas for the last 3 minutes. Leave covered off the heat for 5 minutes.
6. Serve the chicken on the rice with the reserved sauce for those who want more heat.