Portuguese Piri-Piri Chicken Roast with Roasted Red Potatoes

Last week, I was in Lisbon, Portugal for one of the most beautiful wedding weekends. Of course, while there, I HAD to indulge in all this lovely city’s food. The taste of sangria, porto, pasteis de nata, strong coffee, and LOTS of bread are still lingering, but one of my favorite combinations was a roasted chicken dish with potatoes. It was really simple, but I felt like the simplicity allowed me to enjoy and appreciate each delicate touch of flavor. Not to mention, I really wanted to try the extra picante piri–piri sauce we all got as one of our wedding favors!

I hope you enjoy making this. Do tag me on social media if you decide to make this recipe. You can tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter using #thefoodiecutie 🙂

INGREDIENTS

• 10-12 chicken drumsticks
• 3-4 red or yellow potatoes, thinly sliced rounds

Marinade

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp Colgin’s apple liquid smoke
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried red chili flakes
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp Sacana extra picante piri-piri sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground peppercorn

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Start by taking the fat layer on each drumstick and pulling it back down towards the bottom of the leg. Cut off the excess, but leave a little fat at the bottom. Put all the drumsticks in a strainer and give it a quick rinse. Pat dry. Not cut 2 or 3 small slits on the meatiest part of the drumstick. Set aside.
2. Make the marinade by adding all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking together or drop it all in a blender and give it a few pulses.
3. In a large bowl, pour the marinade over the drumsticks. Refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
4. After the drumsticks have finished marinating, pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
5. Get a shallow baking sheet ready and begin arranging a layer of sliced potatoes so that they fill the entire sheet. The potatoes can overlap each other slightly, but not too much or they won’t get crispy. Brush a little marinade on each potato slice and sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper.
6. Now place the drumsticks on top of the potatoes. Arrange them so there is breathing room around each drumstick. Give each drumstick a generous brush of marinade. Set aside the leftover marinade.
7. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
8. After 15 minutes, brush the marinade over the other side of each drumstick. Bake for another 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes, brush more marinade over each leg and bake again for 15 minutes.
10. Finally, turn the oven to a high broil and cook for 8-10 minutes. This is so the skin and potatoes get crispy. Keep an eye on the oven during this time because things get crispy quick! Remove from oven once crispy and enjoy! Serve with rice or my cilantro-lime dipping sauce!