For an awesome change from the typical hamburger, you should definitely try this Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burger. It’s made with tender boneless and skinless chicken thighs, and marinated in a yummy Peri Peri sauce. The Peri Peri marinade is made in minutes. The chicken can be marinated anywhere from 3 hours to overnight. The Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burger is perfect for your Memorial Day cookout!
Ingredients for Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burger:
If you didn’t know, spicy Peri Peri marinade derives its name from the African bird’s eye chili, sometimes known as Piri Piri. I couldn’t find the actual bird’s eye chili, so used red chili peppers instead. In addition to the red chili peppers, I used the following ingredients for the Peri Peri marinade: Red bell pepper, minced garlic, malt vinegar, vegetable oil, paprika, oregano, onion powder, sugar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. I could have used cider vinegar in place of the malt vinegar. For the chicken, I used skinless and boneless chicken thighs.
Making the Peri Peri Marinade:
The Peri Peri Marinade, inspired by RecipeTin Eats was super easy to make. I seeded both the red chili peppers and the red bell pepper, and cut them into pieces. Then, I popped the peppers into the blender. Next, I added the remainder of the marinade ingredients. I puréed the marinade for about 30 seconds until everything was well combined. Half way through, I scrapped down the sides of the blender. That’s it!
Making the Grilled Peri Peri Chicken:
The first thing that I did was to trim the excess fat from chicken thighs. Then, I placed the chicken thighs into a gallon ziploc bag. Next, I poured in about ½ cup of the Peri Peri marinade. I pressed most of the air from the ziploc bag, sealed it. I placed the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate for about 7 hours. In actual fact, I could have marinated the chicken anywhere from 3 hours to overnight.
I grilled the marinated chicken thighs over hot coals, turning them occasionally, until they registered between 165° F and 170° F on an instant read thermometer. This took about 15 minutes. I didn’t feel that it was necessary to brush the chicken with any additional marinade. The reason was that a fair amount of marinade was already coating the chicken. However, I could have brushed on additional marinade for a spicier taste.
Serving the Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burgers:
I placed the grilled chicken on a toasted bun with lettuce and tomato. Then, I topped the chicken with some Russian Dressing. For a spicier topping, I could have mixed some of the Peri Peri marinade with mayonnaise.
I served the Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burgers with Panko Crusted Oven Baked Parmesan Potato Wedges (stay tuned!). The chicken was tender and juicy, with just the amount of spiciness. Yum!
Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burgers
Ingredients
Peri Peri Marinade
- 1 to 3 red chili peppers (See Note 1)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 Tablespoons malt vinegar (See Note 2)
- 2 Tablespoons paprika
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chicken Burgers
- 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 4 hamburger buns
- Condiments of your choice (See Note 3)
Instructions
Peri Peri Marinade
- Remove seeds and membrane from red chili peppers and red bell pepper. Cut into small pieces; place in blender. Add remaining marinade ingredients. Purée 30 seconds, scraping down the sides after 15 seconds. Yield: about 1 cup of Peri Peri Marinade.
Grilled Chicken
- Place chicken thighs in gallon ziploc bag. Add about ½ cup of Peri Peri Marinade. Press as much of the air as possible from ziploc bag and seal. Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- Remove chicken from marinade. Grill over hot coals, turning occasionally until chicken registers between 165° F and 170° F on an instant read thermometer, about 15 minutes. (See Note 4)
- Serve on hamburger bun with lettuce and tomato, and topping of your choice. (See Note 3)
- Yield: 4 Grilled Peri Peri Chicken Burgers.
Chula's Expert Tips
- Note 1: For a milder Peri Peri marinade, only use one chili pepper. For more heat, use 2 to 3 chili peppers.
- Note 2: Can use Cider vinegar in place of Malt vinegar.
- Note 3: Can use Russian or Thousand Island dressing, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, etc. For a spicier Chicken burger, mix 2 tablespoons of reserved Peri Peri marinade with ½ cup mayonnaise.
- Note 4: A lot of the marinade coats the chicken when it is removed from the ziploc bag. Therefore, it isn't necessary to brush on additional marinade when grilling the chicken. However, for a spicier chicken, you can brush on additional marinade while the chicken is grilling.
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