I’m so happy to finally share my gluten free Peri-Peri chicken recipe with spicy rice – Nando’s style! It’s dairy free and low FODMAP too.
I find it hard to believe that Peri-Peri chicken wasn’t a thing in the UK until Nando’s opened their doors back in the day. I now can’t imagine a week without eating it! Here’s my own gluten free Peri-Peri chicken recipe with spicy rice…
Ok so let’s talk Peri-Peri chicken before we get to the insanely tasty spicy rice.
This recipe is basically for a Peri-Peri marinade which you can use on any type of skin-on chicken joint you want – drumsticks, thighs, wings, breasts or even a whole chicken.
(the marinade is quite mild, so you can amp up the spice level as you please. Don’t forget to allow it to marinade for at least an hour if you want the full effect!)
It’s so simple to whip up this marinade in a matter of minutes and instantly spice up any cut of chicken. The only thing that will vary is the cook time. Fortunately, I’ve reflected the different cook times for different cuts of chicken in the recipe below.
Also, this recipe talks you through how to cook the chicken in an oven, because I’m pretty sure that’s what 99% of you would prefer, right? But we actually cooked ours on the BBQ and we spatchcocked the chicken first.
A spatch-what?!
Spatchcocking a chicken basically allows you to cut the chicken in such a way that it lies totally flat like in the photo below and it cooks much quicker. Check out this video if you want to learn how to do it. I let Mark do that part as I find it a bit scary!
It’s essential if you want a really crispy skin on the BBQ or in the oven. You can finish the bird under the grill skin-side up and really crisp it up when it’s nicely flat and spatchcocked.
But it goes without saying that throwing this bird on the BBQ gives it that true Nando’s-like quality – charred, smokey, crisp and lovely skin. There’s an extra step in the recipe if you’re the 1% who actually wants to BBQ your chicken like we did! Just make sure you’ve spatchcocked it BEFORE you start reading this recipe.
So here’s my gluten free Peri-Peri chicken recipe, in the oven or on the BBQ…
Nando's style Peri-Peri Chicken (Mild)
Ingredients
- 1.4 kg chicken (skin on) your choice of cut, but ideally on the bone
- 60 ml red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil if you're low FODMAP, make sure it has no bits of actual garlic in it
- 2 tbsp lime or lemon juice
- 2 tsp chilli puree double this if you're using dried chilli flakes
- 2 tsp mixed herbs
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida (make sure it's gf) you can always use onion powder if you don't care about low FODMAP
Instructions
- In a shallow dish (big enough to fit all of your chicken) add all the ingredients and mix until well combined. It should smell amazing!
- Next, add your chicken and ensure that the mixture coats everything really well.
- Place your shallow dish into the fridge (ideally clingfilm it or cover it first) and allow the chicken to marinade anywhere from 1-12 hours. The longer, the better.
- Take your chicken out of the fridge and place onto a clean baking tray. Spoon the marinade onto the chicken. Now you're ready to cook!
- COOKING INFO FOR THE OVEN:
The time this will take to cook will vary depending on what cut of chicken you're using. I'd recommend picking up a digital thermometer so you can be doubly sure it's cooked (internal temp of 75C). Here's a few cooking guidelines...- For a 1.4kg WHOLE chicken: 70-80 minutes at 190C/170C fan.- For a 1.4kg spatchcocked chicken: 40 minutes at 200C/180C fan THEN grill for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the skin.
- For chicken thighs on the bone: 30-35 minutes at 200C/180C fan THEN grill for 5-10 minutes to crisp up the skin.- For small skin-on chicken breast: 20 minutes at 200C/180C fan.- For chicken wings: 30 minutes at 200C/180C fan- For chicken drumsticks: 30-35 minutes at 200C/180C fan. - COOKING INFO FOR BBQ'ING ONLY:Make sure you've spatchcocked your chicken BEFORE marinading (check the post above for a video on how to do this). After spatchcocking and marinading, fire up the BBQ on a medium heat. Place the spatchcocked chicken skin-side up in the middle of the grates - leave this for around 20-25 minutes with the lid closed. Flip it over and crisp up the skin for a further 10 minutes with the lid closed. Use a digital thermometer to make sure it's cooked - that's an internal temp of 75C for chicken.
- Serve up with my spicy rice and enjoy!
Now what could be better with your Peri-Peri chicken than some spicy rice, just like at Nando’s?!
(in fact, I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that mine is even better, but I’ll let you decide I guess!)
It’s so easy to make and it can all be made in just one saucepan. That means less washing up!
It’s a little bit like making a paella or risotto (but much easier and quicker) so if you’ve ever made one of those before, this will be an absolute doddle for you.
Here’s my Nando’s style spicy rice recipe – it’s gluten free, dairy free and low FODMAP. Enjoy!
Nando's Style Spicy Rice Recipe (Mild)
Ingredients
- 160 g long grain rice
- 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 750 ml boiling water
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp chilli puree or double it if using dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 red pepper finely diced
- 1/2 green pepper finely diced
- 3 tsp garlic-infused olive oil (make sure it has no bits of garlic in it if you're low FODMAP)
- handful freshly chopped chives
Instructions
- Grab a large saucepan (around 30cm wide). Start by frying your diced pepper in the garlic-infused olive oil for a minute or two until slightly softened.
- Add all of your spices, chilli puree, salt and pepper and fry until the pepper is fairly well coated.
- Next, add your chopped tomatoes and boiling water to the saucepan and stir in. Immediately add your long grain rice and stir in.
- Turn the heat down and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated and your rice is well cooked. Make sure you're constantly stirring it every now and then so it doesn't stick to the pan. You can always add a little extra water if it's reduced and your rice still isn't cooked. This should take around 20-25 minutes.
- Serve up with my Peri-Peri chicken and enjoy!
Notes
Thanks for reading how to make my gluten free Peri-Peri chicken recipe with spicy rice! If you make it, I’d love to see how it turned out so don’t forget to take a snap of your meal and tag me on Instagram!
Plus, I’m giving away a £50 supermarket voucher every month to my fave pic – it could be yours!
Any questions about the recipe? Please do let me know by following me Instagram and leaving me a comment!
Thanks for reading,
Becky xxx
Oh and don’t forget to pin this for later!
