Spicy Sweet Piri – Piri Chicken Barbeque Sauce

While I was growing up, my mother cooked chicken for our family so many times, that my father would often say;

“We eat so much chicken, that soon we’re going to grow wings and start flying around.”

Today, I find myself cooking chicken most of the time just like my mother, so I repeat my father’s quote to my family. They laugh, but they don’t mind that we eat chicken so often, especially when I make this recipe!

This recipe will cure your craving for that outdoor barbeque flavor all year long especially in the winter! Serve this chicken with Portuguese Chick Pea Rice or Portuguese Style Potato Salad for a real barbeque feel!

*Note: If you live in a warm climate where you can cook outdoors all year long. Cook the chicken completely on the grill using this method for Frango Churrasco- Chicken on a brick, but use the basic seasonings in this barbeque recipe. Once the chicken is cooked, brush on the sauce and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

You may choose to add more spices or ingredients to the sauce, but I say to use the KISS method. Keep It Simple….. Don’t spoil a good thing!

By the way this sauce is amazing on barbeque ribs too!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Chickens (small fryers)

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

Sauce:

1 cup Ketchup

3 tbsp Brown sugar

1 tsp Granulated sugar

1 tbsp Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Piri Piri or Tabasco sauce

1 tbsp White Vinegar

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 F. Wash and dry the chickens with a paper towel. Place them skin side up in a large try that has been greased with cooking spray.

In a small bowl mix the seasoning; salt, pepper, garlic powder. Rub the chicken with the olive oil and then the spice mix.

Cook the chicken skin side up, for about 1 hour or until they get golden brown. *(Check after 45 minutes since ovens may vary)

Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients in a small pan, stir and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

At this point, you can add more piri piri if you like the sauce spicy or add more sugar for a sweeter sauce. Stir and cook longer to blend in added ingredients.

Remove the chickens from the oven. Brush the sauce over the chickens and coat them evenly.

Place the chicken back in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes for the sauce to absorb into the chicken. The longer it cooks the thicker and sweeter the sauce will become.