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 1/2 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!
- 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 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
- 4 hamburger buns
- Condiments of your choice (See Note 3)
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.
Place chicken thighs in gallon ziploc bag. Add about 1/2 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.
- 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 1/2 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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