START TO FINISH: 50 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
Piri piri can refer to a finger-staining chili pepper sauce—usually spiked with garlic, sugar and plenty of cayenne, lemon and paprika—or to whatever the sauce douses. Its origins are Portuguese, but it’s found today in South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia. To make our version of the tangy-sweet sauce, we use pure New Mexico or California chili powder. If you can’t find either, use ¼ cup regular (not smoked) sweet paprika. Avoid standard chili powder, which is a blend of ground chilies and other herbs and spices. Fresno chilies are fresh red chilies similar in size and shape to jalapeños, but with pointy tips. If they are unavailable, fresh cherry peppers are a good substitute. The thighs can be a bit spicy, so we like to serve them with a simple rice pilaf to soak up the heat and sauce, or a cooling cucumber salad. If you have leftovers, shred the meat and make chicken salad with mayonnaise and a dollop of the sauce.
Don’t reduce the number of Fresno chilies; all are needed for flavor and color. To reduce spiciness, remove some or all of the seeds and ribs from the chilies before processing. Don’t substitute Thai chilies for the Fresnos; they pack far more heat.
3 tablespoons New Mexico or California chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
Kosher salt
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
2 tablespoons white sugar
8 medium Fresno chilies, stemmed and quartered
3 medium garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup lemon juice
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the middle position. In a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, coriander, paprika and 1½ tablespoons salt. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture; add the remaining mixture to a food processor and set aside. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons over the skin sides of the chicken and rub it in. Place the thighs on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the thickest part of the largest thigh reaches 175°F, a skewer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken should meet no resistance, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the sugar, chilies and garlic to the spice mixture in the processor. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping the bowl as needed. With the machine running, pour in the lemon juice and vinegar, then process until smooth, scraping the bowl once or twice. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the cilantro. Transfer the chicken to a platter and serve with the sauce.