Juicy, golden, and infused with layers of garlic, paprika, lemon, and just the right amount of heat – Portuguese chicken is comfort food with a fiery soul. Whether it’s the slow char from the grill or the zesty marinade that keeps you coming back, Portuguese chicken is all about bold flavor and unfussy technique. This recipe transforms everyday ingredients into something unforgettable.
I love grilling on the BBQ – no matter the time of year. I’ll gladly dust off the snow or brave the torrential rains (as is more often the case) and fire up the grill to get that smokey flavor. The marinade for this Portuguese Chicken is incredibly bold and bursting with complexity. You can easily control the heat by adjusting the amount of peppers or swapping the jalapeño for something hotter, like a couple of bird’s eye chilis. Either which way, I’m sure your family will give you the thumbs up on this recipe.
Why You Will Love This Portuguese Chicken Recipe
- Bold, Addictive Flavor: This chicken is marinated in a zesty blend of garlic, lemon, paprika, and chili – delivering that perfect balance of heat, and tang in every bite.
- Customizable Spice Level: Whether you like it mild or fiery, you can easily adjust the heat by choosing your peppers—jalapeños for a gentler kick, or bird’s eye chilis for a real punch.
- Perfect for Grilling or Roasting: This recipe is incredibly versatile. Fire it up on the BBQ for that irresistible char, or roast it in the oven.
- Meal Prep Friendly: The marinade works wonders overnight, making it perfect for prepping ahead. The leftovers (if you have any!) are just as delicious the next day.
- Crowd-Pleaser: Whether feeding family or hosting friends, this dish hasn’t let me down. It’s comfort food with attitude.
Equipment Needed
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- Food Processor, or blender for making the marinade.
- Citrus Juicer – for juicing fresh lemons
- Instant read thermometer – you can determine the doneness by checking the internal temperature while the chicken is cooking.
- Tongs or Spatula for flipping the chicken on the grill.
Ingredients for Portuguese Chicken
Chicken Legs – I prefer bone in and skin on. You can replace with breasts if you like but try to find them with the bone and skin for best flavor. Having said that, you still can use skinless/boneless chicken if that’s all you can find.
Red Pepper – for flavor, texture, and color balance.
Jalapeno Pepper – brings the heat to the sauce. Jalapenos aren’t super spicy so you can up the ante with something hotter like a couple bird’s eye chilis, or an habanero.
Fresno Peppers – brings flavor, texture, color balance, and a little heat. Also tend to be easy to find. If you can’t find them though, you could replace with another 1/2 red bell pepper and half a jalapeno pepper.
Thyme, Oregano, Onion Powder, Paprika, Cayenne, Salt, Pepper, all for seasoning the marinade.
Fresh lemon juice and red wine vinegar – adds acidity to the marinade to brighten the flavor.
Olive oil – acts a carrier for the fat soluble flavor-compounds, helps prevent drying out, and improves the browning/caramelization process during grilling.
How to Make Portuguese Chicken
I like to use a food processor to blend all the marinade ingredients, but a high powered blender could also do the trick. To a food processor add chopped seeded Fresno chili peppers, jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, cracked black pepper, brown sugar, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme leaves, and dried oregano leaves. Process until everything is quite chopped up (about 30 seconds).
Add the vegetable oil, vinegar, and lemon juice and process until fairly smooth.
Remove about ¼ cup of marinade to be used later as a dipping sauce and place in the fridge until needed. The rest of the marinade can be put into a large zipper top bag.
Using a sharp knife make a few cuts into the flesh of the thigh and drumstick (about 1/4″ deep) . This will help the marinade flavors to penetrate the meat better. Season the chicken with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Place the chicken quarters into the zipper-top marinade bag. Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, then gently massage to ensure the chicken is well coated. Refrigerate for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours. The longer it rests, the more deeply the flavors will infuse.
Once the chicken has finished marinating. Prepare the grill by adjusting to medium-high heat and lightly oiling the grates. Place marinated chicken skin-side down on the preheated grill. Grill for about 6 minutes then flip over and continue grilling. Lower the heat to medium. Grill and flip as necessary to avoid flare-ups until the chicken reaches 165 F when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, and the skin has begun to crisp up nicely. About 20 minutes.
Remove from the grill, serve and enjoy with the dipping sauce.
No Grill? Baking Method for Portuguese Chicken
My preferred way to make Portuguese Chicken is on the grill as it allows you to get that fire-kissed flavor, and it avoids soggy chicken. But if you don’t have a grill, you can bake these in the oven.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the marinated chicken quarters skin-side up on a heatproof rack set over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a rack promotes better air circulation, helping the chicken crisp up more evenly.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Check to see if the chicken is done by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken quarter, once it has reached 165F it is done.
You can place the chicken under the broiler for a couple of minutes to help crisp up the skin if you like. Keep an eye on it, as it can go from good to burnt in seconds.
Remove from the oven, serve and enjoy with the dipping sauce.
What to Serve with Portuguese Chicken?
Portuguese chicken is compatible with so many side dishes, but I tend to serve it with sides like corn on the cob, rice, roast potatoes, French fries, vegetable skewers, side salads, coleslaw, even a Greek salad is great.
Notes
- If you don’t have Fresno peppers you can sub with 1/2 a jalapeno and another 1/2 red bell pepper. If you want to make this recipe spicier (it’s not super spicy as written), you can replace the jalapeno with a couple bird’s eye peppers or an habanero.
- If you don’t have red wine vinegar you can substitute with apple cider vinegar
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill these can be baked in the oven at 400F for about 40 minutes. Best to measure with a meat thermometer (165F) to determine when done.
FAQs
How to store leftovers of Portuguese Chicken? Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days. To reheat, I prefer using an air fryer at 375°F for about 4–5 minutes – it keeps the skin crisp and the meat juicy. The oven works well too: 375°F for around 10 minutes. The microwave is my last resort, as it tends to heat unevenly and can dry out parts of the chicken – but it’s fast, taking about 1½ minutes. Leftovers can also be placed in an airtight container or zipper top bag and frozen for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as mentioned above.
Is this Portuguese Chicken the same thing as Piri Piri Chicken? Yes, this recipe is very similar to piri piri chicken, but I don’t use piri piri chilis (hard to find) which would make the dish much more spicy.
Can I make this ahead of time? Absolutely! There’s plenty you can prep in advance to make dinnertime easier. The marinade can be mixed a day ahead, and letting the chicken soak for up to 24 hours not only deepens the flavor but also gives you a head start. That way, all that’s left on the day of is firing up the grill.
Portuguese Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor
- 1 Citrus Juicer
- 1 Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 4 Fresno Chili Peppers, seeded and washed cut into chunks
- 1 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and washed cut into chunks
- 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and washed cut into chunks
- 5 cloves Garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Salt + more for seasoning chicken
- 1 teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper + more for seasoning chicken
- 1 teaspoon Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- ¾ teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
- ¾ teaspoon Dried Oregano Leaves
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- ¼ cup Red Wine Vinegar
- ½ cup Fresh Lemon Juice
- 5 Chicken Quarters (leg and thigh attached) bone in with skin
Instructions
- To a food processor add chopped and seeded Fresno chili peppers, jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper, garlic, smoked paprika, salt, cracked black pepper, brown sugar, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried thyme leaves, and dried oregano leaves. Process until everything is quite chopped up (about 30 seconds).
- Add the vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice and process until fairly smooth.
- Remove about ¼ cup of marinade to be used later as a dipping sauce and place in the fridge until needed. The rest of the marinade can be put into a large zipper top bag.
- Using a sharp knife make a few cuts into the flesh of the thigh and drumstick (about 1/4" deep) . This will help the marinade flavors to penetrate the meat better. Season the chicken with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken quarters into the marinade-filled zipper top bag. Seal up the bag removing as much air as possible. Massage the chicken in the marinade to evenly coat all the chicken pieces. Place the chicken/marinade bag into the fridge and allow to marinate for 2-24 hours. The longer you can marinate the chicken, the more flavorful the outcome will be.
- Once the chicken has finished marinating. Prepare an outdoor grill by adjusting to medium-high heat and lightly oiling the grates. Place marinated chicken skin-side down on the preheated grill. Grill for about 6 minutes then flip over and continue grilling. Lower the heat to medium. Grill and flip as necessary to avoid flare-ups until the chicken reaches 165℉ when a meat thermometer is inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, and the skin has begun to crisp up nicely. About 20 minutes.
- Remove from the grill, serve and enjoy with the dipping sauce.
- An oven baking method is outlined in the body of the blog post if you prefer.
Notes
- If you don’t have Fresno peppers you can sub with 1/2 a jalapeno and another 1/2 red bell pepper. If you want to make this recipe spicier (it’s not super spicy as written), you can replace the jalapeno with a couple bird’s eye peppers or an habanero.
- If you don’t have red wine vinegar you can substitute with apple cider vinegar
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill these can be baked in the oven at 400F for about 40 minutes. Best to measure with a meat thermometer (165F) to determine when it is done cooking.
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