Portuguese Style Grilled Chicken...100th post

This post is a milestone for my blog as it is actually my 100th post. It has taken forever to get here as I have come to realize that food blogging is not an easy thing. It is soooooooo time consuming! And as if cooking didn't take long enough; taking top shot photos of the dish and then writing about it and actually publishing it means you really need to manage your time effectively.  Something that I have not been able to do too well considering I do have a life outside food!  Although this sounds like I'm talking about throwing in the towel on blogging - trust me, I ain't!  On the contrary, I take pride in my little piece of the web and after 100 posts and nearly 30,000 views, I can think of nothing better but to go on and fill cyberspace with more and more of the foodie gems of life that I have uncovered and wish to share with the world wide network.  So like or not I am here to stay!
To commemorate the 100th post I have chosen a real favourite dish of mine.  This is my version of Portuguese style chicken - yes the kind you get at that famous place that rhymes with "Dandos".   I have made this a number of times and it is a hit with all chilli lovers.  The secret is in the marinade - get your hands on a bottle of pickled peri peri chillies.  It's what seperates this dish from other regular grilled chicken dishes.  You can make it completely in the oven, but the second grilling is what imparts that sought after charred flavour.

To make the marinade. Blend the following in a Food Processor:

5 x Peri Peri Chillies (If you like it hot then add more and get ready to sweat)

Alternatively you can use 10 x Red Chillies (if you like it mild use the less hotter ones..and less chillies of course)

4 cloves x Garlic

1 Tbsp x Dried Oregano

Juice & Zest of 1 large Lemon

A good splash of Olive Oil (to get the marinade all creamy)

A pinch of Salt to taste   
1.5 kg Chicken pieces, 
Directions
Combine the marinade ingredients with the chicken in a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight for best results - if you're in a hurry then prick the chicken all over and marinate for a couple of hours - not as good but will suffice
Heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius
Remove as much marinade from the chicken and place the chicken pieces on a wire frame over a roasting tray, this will ensure that the chicken cooks evenly and the dripping juices are caught
Cook chicken in the oven for 1 hour turning over and basting with the drippings every 15 minutes
Put the leftover marinade into a saucepan and bring to a boil then reduce to a thick saucy consistency
Now the dish can be completed here if you choose, all you have to do is baste with the marinade reduction and cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes on each side then serve

The second grilling - do this if you want that grilled taste and charred flavour just like the shop's - I love it!
Heat a grill pan, heavy frypan or bbq hotplate
Baste the chicken pieces with the marinade and fry on each side for 3-5 minutes
Serve piping hot with a wedge of lemon and a napkin to wipe the sweat.

Warning: Chillies and high heat equal a lot of smoke - so unless you have an industrial strength rangehood or lungs of steel, I recommend this step be completed in a well ventilated area like the backyard so you can make the neighbours jealous!      

Delicious, marinated, charred and devilishly hot for the taking - definitely not "Blandos"

Here's is a serving suggestion - The two piece feed - Spiced Rice recipe in the Basics page