Molho de Piri-piri

Versions of this sauce/condiment/marinade are ubiquitous in Portugal. Frango Piri-piri (chicken marinated in this sauce and grilled, with more sauce served on the side) is pratically a national dish. Piri-piris are tiny, very hot peppers. I get mine here.
This is an oil-based marinade so I think it works better if you cook your chicken in the higher heat of a kettle where you can put in directly over the coals periodically (beware flare-ups) although the WSM will work but use lots of coals to get your heat up--and no water/sand in the pan. This is tasty with pork and shrimp as well.

1 cup olive oil

1-2 Tbls ground piri-piris

1 tablespoon paprika, preferably smoked Spanish pimenton

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 tsps sea salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine the ingredients in a jar and shake. Store in the refrigerator for a few days or longer to blend flavors


See the notes on the Frango Piri-piri recipe for marinating/cooking/serving suggestions.

Marinate a chicken with this before grilling it and serve some of the sauce on the side.

Shoot! Now I've gone and ordered some piri-piri peppers and some piri-piri sauce, and then to get free shipping I ordered a bottle of olive oil!

Can't wait to try everything....! I have never heard of this!

Let me know what you think.

I like this with shrimp too. I reverse the ratios though. Instead of one part citrus to 3 parts molho (like I do with chicken), I mix 3 parts citrus (lemon, calamondin, or grapefruit) with one part molho, marinate the brined, peeled and deveined shrimp, and grill them. Just before I skewer them, I take some of the straight molho (about 3-4 Tbls), and heat it in a small pot over low heat for 10-15 min to soften and sweeten the garlic. I add 2-3 Tbls unsalted butter and let that melt, then remove it from the heat--but keep it warm. As soon as the shrimp are pulled off the grill, I paint them with this molho/butter combo, and serve them with lemon quarters on the side.

Haven't made this for a couple years now but I mixed some up and have some things sitting in it right now.



I made a triple batch and used Oliv-ola (olive-canola) hoping it won't congeal in the fridge.

If the weather clears I'll grill up the thighs, otherwise I guess it'll be under the broiler. I'll put up some pics in either case.

Anyway, this is one of those things you just have to try if you like spicy chicken.