Chicken piri-piri
Serves 6
Hands-on time 20 min, oven time 1 hour, plus marinating
Easy
Diana Henry reminisces about the dishes that take her back to her childhood; this spicy chicken recipe brings memories of her time in Portugal.

INGREDIENTS

1 small red pepper
50ml olive oil
4 red chillies
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano or chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Juice 2 lemons
1/2 tsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
6 free-range, skin-on, bone-in chicken legs (drumsticks and thighs attached)
METHOD

01.Heat the oven 190°C/170°C fan/ gas 5. Halve and deseed the pepper, brush with a little of the oil, put in a tin and roast until soft (about 25 minutes). Peel the skin if it comes off easily; leave on if it doesn’t. Chop roughly, then crush in a pestle and mortar (see tip). Remove the pepper.
02.Deseed the chillies, chop finely and put in the mortar with the garlic, oregano and chilli flakes. Pound to a paste, then add the vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, remaining oil and crushed pepper.
03.Put the chicken into a broad shallow dish and pour on most of the marinade. Turn to coat, cover with cling film and put in the fridge for 4 hours (or overnight ideally), turning a couple of times. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
04.Heat the grill to high and arrange the chicken on the grill pan, skin-side up. Put the grill pan 10cm from the heat and grill for 12 minutes per side, reducing the heat to medium halfway through. Baste a few times with the juices or a little reserved marinade.
05.Move the chicken another 10cm from the heat and grill for 5 minutes on each side. It should be cooked through (make sure there are no traces of pink), sizzling and golden.
06.Serve immediately with a lettuce, cucumber and tomato salad and fried potatoes or coarse rustic brea