Description
Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burgers are a flavorful, spicy take on the classic chicken burger, featuring a homemade peri peri sauce and creamy peri-naise. This recipe includes marinated grilled or pan-fried chicken breasts or thighs served with fresh lettuce and tomato on toasted soft rolls for a satisfying meal that captures the iconic South African-Portuguese peri peri flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Peri Peri Sauce
- 1-3 birds eye red chilies (1 is very mild, 3 is mildly spicy)
- 1 medium red capsicum / bell pepper, roughly cut into 1.5cm / 1/2″ pieces
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled, whole
- 3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil (or other plain flavored oil)
- 4 tbsp malt vinegar
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika (substitute regular/sweet paprika)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp onion powder (substitute garlic powder)
- 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 3 drops red food colouring (optional)
Peri-Naise
- 3 tbsp Peri Peri Sauce (from above)
- 1/2 cup whole egg mayonnaise (or other mayonnaise)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (or yoghurt)
Chicken and Assembly
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 chicken breasts or chicken thigh fillets, skinless boneless (each large enough for a burger)
- 4 soft rolls, split and lightly toasted (if desired)
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
- Lettuce of choice
Instructions
- Prepare chicken breast: If using chicken breasts, pound them to an even thickness of about 1 cm (0.4 inches) using a meat mallet or rolling pin, placing the chicken between freezer bags or a go-between sheet. Trim each piece so it is slightly larger than the burger buns, considering about 20% shrinkage during cooking.
- Make Peri Peri Sauce: Combine all peri peri sauce ingredients into a jug or blender. Blitz until the mixture is smooth using a stick blender, food processor, or blender.
- Marinate chicken: Pour half a cup of the peri peri sauce into a bowl or ziplock bag, add the chicken pieces, and coat them thoroughly. Marinate for a minimum of 3 hours or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator to infuse flavor.
- Prepare Perinaise: In a separate bowl, mix together the prepared peri peri sauce, mayonnaise, and sour cream to create the peri-naise. Set aside.
- Cook chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan over medium to medium-high heat, or alternatively brush a BBQ grill with oil and heat it. Cook the chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side or chicken thighs for 4 minutes on each side, cooking in batches if necessary. Reduce heat as needed to avoid excessive charring. A slight char is desirable for flavor.
- Rest chicken: Remove the cooked chicken onto a plate, loosely cover with foil, and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the split rolls if you like.
- Assemble burgers: Spread peri-naise on the base of each roll. Layer lettuce and tomato slices on top, then add the rested chicken. Finish with more peri-naise and extra peri peri sauce if you desire, then top with the bun lids to complete the burgers.
Notes
- Adjust the number of birds eye chilies based on your spice tolerance: 1 chili is very mild, 3 provides mild heat.
- Malt vinegar adds a distinctive tanginess; substitute with red or white wine vinegar if unavailable.
- Red food coloring is optional and used for a vibrant color but does not affect flavor.
- If using chicken thighs, adjust cooking times slightly to ensure they are fully cooked through.
- To achieve even cooking thickness, pounding chicken breasts is crucial to avoid uneven cooking.
