Everyone loves piri piri chicken. It’s spicy, juicy, flavoursome and absolutely delicious!

Re-create this dish at home and I promise you it will taste so much brighter and have more zap than the stuff you find on the high street. It’s also pretty darn healthy and cheap to make!

It just needs some time to marinate but apart from that it is so easy to do!

Trust me, cook this!

Recipe (serves 4)

3 – 4 plump red chillies (you can leave the seeds in if you like it super fiery, or just use 1 chilli if you like it mild), roughly chopped

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tsp smoked sweet paprika

1 tsp oregano

2 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed and chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 lemon, juiced

1 tbsp white / red wine vineger

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

4 chicken quarters (or 1 whole chicken spatchcocked)

Lime wedges and griddled corn on the cob to serve

In a pestle and mortar, (or just use a blender if you like) bash the chillis and garlic together with 1/2 tsp of salt until well crushed. Add in the paprika, oregano, chopped thyme, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil and plenty of pepper. Mix well.

Put the chicken into a bowl and pour the marinade over. With your hands rub the mixture in well until the chicken is well coated.

Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour if in a hurry, but preferably overnight.

If it’s the summer, get this chicken cooking on the BBQ! But unfortunately it’s not.

Pre-heat your oven to 200C. To get that char-grilled taste at home, heat up a griddle pan or frying pan until very hot. No need for oil, as there is oil in the marinade. Place the chicken in the hot pan and leave to cook until it starts to catch and goes slightly blackened, so it creates a smokey flavour. Turn over and leave to cook again. It should take about 10 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the pan, place on a baking tray and cook in the oven for a further 25 minutes if using chicken quarters or for a further 45-60 minutes if using a whole spatchcocked chicken.

Remove from the oven or bbq and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with griddled corn, lime wedges, fries or rice and some salad. DELICIOUS!