Everybody likes Nandos – it’s a fact. But be honest, isn’t it just overpriced chicken and chips? Whilst the chicken is excellent, the few lame sides only distract from the main goal: ingesting the maximum amount of poultry your body can take in a socially acceptable environment. Instead, why not take advantage of battery farming and a bit of intuition? Create year-round barbeque food for a fraction of the cost. Blow your friends’ loyalty stamps of the water with your ability to recreate the delicious Portuguese flavour for less than £4 for a whole chicken. This recipe creates chicken around the “medium” spice level.  Add more or less bird eye chillies depending on how big your spice balls are. If you’re after some more adventurous sides to go with your masterpiece, how about a grilled halloumi salad, sweet potato chips or falafel?

Ingredients (Serves however many you care to share with…so one then)

1 Whole Chicken (£2.50 from Crawshaw’s Butchers, Kirkgate Market)

For the Marinade:

4 Large Red Chillies  & 2 Red Bird Eye Chillies – seeds removed.

4 Garlic Cloves

3 Tablespoons of fresh Parsley

1.5 Teaspoons Smokey Paprika

1 Teaspoon Dried Oregano

1 Teaspoons Caster Sugar

Salt & Pepper

Juice of 1 Lemon

Juice of 1 Lime

2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar

0.5 Tablespoon Tomato Puree

1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce

Method

To prepare the marinade roughly chop the garlic cloves, parsley and chillies and place in the food processor. Juice the lemon and lime and add all the other ingredients into the food processor and blitz until liquefied.

To spatchcock the chicken turn it onto its breast and find the spine running along the middle of the back. Using a pair of strong scissors or a serrated knife cut around each side of the spine and remove it. Now turn the bird over again and apply gentle pressure onto the breast to flatten it out. Push out the legs and free the wings.

Put a few cuts into the meat of the legs. Now smear the marinade all over the chicken, on both sides. For maximum flavour, put your fingers underneath the skin on the breast to separate it from the meat and massage the marinade in (cheeky). Leave the chicken to marinade for up to 1 day in the fridge then cook for 35-40 minutes at 200C/Gas mark 6 on a baking tray. To get the perfect charred skin, place under the grill for another 5-10 minutes

Nick Smith