Peri Peri Marinated Chicken Skewers
Flavor-packed BBQ-style peri peri marinated chicken skewers with a spicy pepper, garlic, lemon, basil, and oregano sauce are finger-licking good. Prepare and marinate overnight, and you’ll have extra delicious skewers ready for grilling time and fun entertaining!
Chicken skewers may not be the first thing that pops into your mind when you think of firing up the grill. There’s just so much competition in this field. We’re talking about chicken thighs, steak, ribs, shrimp, burgers, and hot dogs.
However, you might change your mind after giving these peri peri chicken skewers a go. Flavorful is an understatement when describing this beloved grilled chicken recipe that’s a cinch to make.
The Beauty of Peri Peri Chili Peppers
Peri peri (piri piri or pili pili) is a chili pepper that grew mostly in the wild, but has now been cultivated for commercial use. Though it’s often called Africa’s bird’s-eye chili, this spicy pepper is not that closely related to the Thai version. But don’t let its citrusy, peachy flavor fool you because it packs a punch, coming right behind habaneros on the Scoville scale.
Peri peri sauce creates a vibrant, spicy, and complex marinade that doubles up as a flavorful dipping sauce. Since the peppers are rather hard to find, I’ve subbed them with Thai bird’s-eye peppers, a red jalapeño, and red bell pepper. Onions, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon juice, and coconut milk calm the heat down.
How to Grill Peri Peri Chicken Skewers
- Puree the marinade, cut up the chicken, and marinate.
- Thread the chicken chunks onto the skewers and grill away. Feel free to baste them with more marinade halfway through.
Recipe Notes
- Make a double or triple batch of this deliciously spicy chicken to have on hand because it freezes well.
- I can’t find peri peri peppers where I live, so I made it with what I could find. If you can find fresh peri peri peppers, I highly recommend using them.
- A habanero combined with a red bell pepper also comes close to the peri peri pepper’s flavor profile.
- To transform this marinade into a dipping sauce, simmer it for 7-10 minutes to thicken it. Add more coconut milk if desired to balance out the heat.
Make Ahead and Storage Instructions
What I love most about this recipe is that you can prepare the skewers and marinate the chicken ahead of time. Then spend the day relaxing until ready to fire up the grill. Thread the chicken on skewers before or after marinating; it’s up to you.
If you leave out the chicken bouillon, peri peri marinade will last a good 2 weeks in the fridge or over a year in the freezer. With the bouillon, it will last for 4-5 days in the fridge or 6-12 months in the freezer.
The grilled chicken skewers will last in the fridge for 3-4 days for spicy meal prep. They go great in flatbread for an African twist on shawarma, or on top of your favorite veggies for a main-meal salad.
What to Serve With Peri Peri Chicken Skewers
You can serve these alongside some kachumbari (cucumber tomato relish), salad, and rice. Either way, everyone will gobble these up immediatley! I also love serving thet with jollof rice and coleslaw.
More Spicy Chicken Recipes to Enjoy
- Nashville Hot Chicken
- Grilled Peri Peri Chicken
- Slow Cooker Jerk Chicken
- Blackened Spatchcock Chicken
- Buffalo Chicken Wings
This recipe was first published in June 2017 and has been updated with more tips and tempting new photos.
Peri Peri Marinated Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 1 red jalapeño, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- 1 red chili pepper, seeds removed and coarsely chopped (see notes)
- ¼ medium red bell pepper, seeds removed and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup (30g) chopped onions
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 4-6 large basil leaves
- 2-3 tablespoons (6-9g) fresh oregano or parsley
- 1 medium lemon, juiced (adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon (3g) chicken bouillon (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup (60g) olive oil
- ½ cup (120g) coconut milk (optional)
- 2-3 pounds (1-1.5kg) boneless, skinless chicken thighs (excess fat trimmed)
Instructions
- Soak wooden skewers totally submerged in water for at least 60 minutes before grilling to prevent fires. Skip this part if using a grill pan or stainless steel skewers.
- Blend the red jalapeño, chili pepper, bell pepper, onion, garlic, basil, oregano or parsley, lemon juice, smoked paprika, bouillon, and salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil and optional coconut milk as needed to facilitate blending, then set it aside.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut them into 2-inch chunks and put them in a large non-reactive bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste (¾-1 teaspoon per pound of each is average).
- Pour the peri peri marinade over the chicken, and mix until thoroughly coated. At this point, you can cover the bowl with plastic wrap to marinate for around 2 hours, or go ahead and thread the skewers. Alternatively, you can use a large zip-lock bag to save space in the fridge.
- I marinated the chicken first (overnight), then put about 4 chunks on each skewer before grilling.
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and drain the excess, reserving the extra marinade for basting. Remember that it has been in contact with raw chicken, so make sure not to baste immediately before removing the skewers from the grill.
- Thread 4-5 chunks of chicken on each skewer if you haven't already, brush the grill with vegetable oil to prevent sticking, and place chicken directly on the grill grates.
- Cook for 10-15 minutes, rotating from side to side for even cooking. If the chicken is browning too quickly, lower the heat.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the reserved peri peri marinade for 7-10 minutes to kill the bacteria from the raw chicken.
- Transfer the grilled chicken skewers to a platter and let them rest for about 5 minutes. Serve them with the peri peri sauce on the side.
Tips & Notes:
- Adjust the amount of hot pepper to taste. If you can’t find peri peri, Thai bird’s eye, jalapeño, cayenne, serrano, and Fresno peppers will all work fine. However, if you do have access to them, please use them instead.
- Remember that the marinade has been in contact with raw chicken, so be sure to simmer the marinade for at least 5 minutes to kill the bacteria.
- Please take into account that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary considerably based on the products used.
I’m from South Africa and have only bought Nandos Peri Peri before. I cannot wait to try this! I love that it’s only 4 carbs per serving too. I’m going to pair this with a nice salad – YUMMY!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for the feedback Kerry :)!
My picky chicken eater loves these easy portable skewers and so do I.
Woohoo! Thank you! 🙂
I loved this recipe so much!!!
Really easy to make and delicious – thank you so much for this recipie.
I didn’t have coconut milk on hand when I prepared the marinade, so substituted it with sour cream (which I had) and both the kebab and the cooked marinade sauce were still delicious.
I will definitely try some of your other recipes.
So happy to hear this. Thanks for the feedback.
do you have a recipe for the Adobo seasoning?
Working on it. In the meantime, do check out these other amazing seasonings.
Homemade Creole seasoning
Homemade Taco seasoning
Italian seasoning
There is a restaurant in England called Nando’s that serves it.
I’m happy to have stumbled upon this website! I’mI’m definitely gonna try this and lots of other recipes!
Glad you are here. Do let me know which ones you make and how they work out for you.
Perfect for the season! Thanks for sharing!
Sure is.
Really nicee,wish I could try bt I dt ve a grill,can I use my oven?
You sure can. You could also do them under the broiler or in an air fryer. Just follow the instructions in my suya chicken recipe.
I adore making these skewers on the grill – that peri peri marinade sounds so delicious!
I am a vegetarian so I will most certainly take inspiration from your marinade to create a vegetarian recipe with Tofu.
I actually fell in love with peri peri chicken in South Africa a few years ago and have been meaning to make some since back in the UK but have not yet managed it. I should rally try your version.
This looks INCREDIBLE, and your photos are stunning. I’ve never had or made peri peri chicken, and I think it’s about time I did, I’m a huge hot pepper fan 🙂
Thanks! You definitely going to love this one Sue.
Love all the flavors & seasonings for these skewers! And love doing the prep the night before! They look FAB!
Thanks Patricia
Thank you Patricia !!
Hello from Sweden!
I was so thrilled to find your page! I have Never been in Africa or eat african food!
I will try to make some of your recepies!
Thank you for shearing them !
// Brita
Can’t wait for you to try some of my recipes here, Brita! Enjoy!