Grilled peri peri chicken is a flavourful, spicy BBQ butterflied chicken marinated in a tangy homemade peri peri sauce. This whole chicken is butterflied so that it can be grilled completely on the BBQ, delivering a crispy, charred exterior with tender, juicy meat inside and a peri peri marinade made with blended chilli's, pepper, lemon, oregano and garlic.

I make a roast chicken most weeks for meal prep because it's easy to do, and you can be versatile with your flavours and sides. It feels like a new meal each and every week, when in reality, you're keeping the backbones largely the same.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Flavourful. The combination of the chilli's with the lemon creates a tangy homemade peri peri marinade and compliments the BBQ butterflied chicken.
Perfect for BBQs. Because the whole chicken is butterflied, it makes it easier and quicker to cook on the grill, making it perfect for a weekend barbeque.
Easy to prepare. Marinate, grill, and serve – a simple yet impressive dish that doesn't require much fuss.
Affordable. Purchasing a whole chicken is cheaper than buying parts. Learning to butterfly the chicken yourself can cut the cost down further.
Ingredients

red chillis. The main ingredient to a peri peri chicken marinade. .You can adjust the number of chilli's or pick spicier or milder chillis to suit your preference for the homemade peri peri sauce.
lemon juice. Helps balance the spice with a tang for the BBQ Butterflied Chicken.
fresh oregano. Adds a fresh, earthy flavour to the grilled peri peri chicken; dried oregano can be used as an alternative but won't pack as much "punch" so I suggest using more.
red pepper. Adds a slight sweetness and mild flavour, blending well with the other marinade ingredients for the grilled peri peri chicken.
garlic. I mean, need I say anything else?
olive oil. Helps bind the peri peri marinade.
whole chicken. I recommend butterflying chickens you're going to cook on the barbeque as they grill more evenly. Butterflying yourself is easy and is a cheaper option (but, if you're not confident, you can buy a pre-butterflied chicken to marinade and grill).
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
How to butterfly a chicken
- Prepare
Place the whole chicken, breast-side down, on a clean cutting board. Make sure you have sharp poultry scissors or a sharp knife handy (poultry scissors are extremely useful and make butterflying a chicken easy).
- Remove backbone
Using poultry scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone from the tail to the neck, then remove it. If it's tough, you may need to apply firm pressure near the ribs.
- Open
After removing the backbone, open the chicken up like a book with the skin side facing down.
- Flatten breastbone
Firmly press the breastbone (with palm of your hand) to flatten. You might hear a slight crack, this allows the chicken to lie flat.

How to make grilled peri peri chicken
- Blend marinade ingredients.
- In a blender, combine peri peri marinade ingredients and blend until desired consistency (doesn't have to be completely smooth). Taste and adjust as needed.
- Marinate the chicken.
- Add butterflied chicken to a large bowl or on a bbq safe dish. Pour or baste the chicken with the homemade peri peri marinade. Cover or seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the best flavour. Don't discard any leftover marinade as this will be used to baste during the barbeque.
- Prepare the BBQ.
- Preheat your BBQ to medium heat (around 180-200°C/350-400°F).
- Grill the chicken.
- Wrap the wings with aluminium foil (they have the least amount of meat and are prone to burning if you don't do this).
- Place the butterflied chicken skin-side down on the grill. Grill for about 10-15 minutes until the skin is crispy and slightly charred. Turn the grilled peri peri chicken over and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes (baste the skin with leftover peri peri marinade).
- Rest.
- When the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches at least 69°C (160°F), remove from the heat and let rest for (it'll continue to rise to 74°C (165°F) which is the safe temperature to serve chicken)
- Serve.
- Serve grilled peri peri chicken from the BBQ with your favourite sides like these truffle mash potatoes, Mediterranean pasta salad or small batch focaccia.
Top Tip
If your BBQ has a lid, use indirect heat to avoid burning the chicken. Sear it on high heat first, then move it to a cooler part of the grill to cook through without burning.
How to make butterflied chicken in the oven
- Marinate the chicken.
- Follow the same marinating instructions, coating the butterflied chicken in the homemade peri peri sauce and letting it sit for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Prepare baking tray and oven
- Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Place the marinated chicken skin-side up on a lined baking tray or in a roasting pan. For extra flavour, drizzle any leftover marinade over the butterflied peri peri chicken.
- Roast the butterflied chicken
- Place the chicken in the oven and roast for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 180°C (360°F) for 35-45 minutes, or until the skin is crispy and the internal temperature reaches 69°C (160°F) at the thickest part of the meat (it'll continue to rise to 74°C (165°F) which is the safe temperature to serve chicken).
- Grill the chicken.
- Place the butterflied chicken skin-side down on the grill. Grill for about 10-15 minutes until the skin is crispy and slightly charred. Turn the grilled peri peri chicken over and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes (baste the skin with leftover peri peri marinade).
- Rest & Serve
- Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes after removing it from the oven before carving and serving.
Or, you don't have to butterfly
You could also choose not to butterfly the chicken and cook a roast chicken instead (but with the peri peri chicken marinade). I have a whole post on how to prepare, cook and serve a whole roast chicken using all the different methods
Meal prep and leftovers

Grilled Peri Peri Chicken is perfect for meal prepping as you can cook about 6-8 serves (depending on the size of the chicken) quite quickly. Pair it with corn on the cob and roasted potatoes (or even something simple like rice), both basted in the homemade peri peri sauce for extra flavour and added to the grill with the peri peri chicken, to create a complete and flavourful meal ready to go.
Storing
Allow the grilled peri peri chicken and vegetables to cool completely (up to 2 hours) before adding to airtight containers for up to 4 days in the fridge. I recommend keeping the chicken in large parts (e.g. breast, thighs) rather than shredding or cutting further as this helps maintain moisture when storing and reheating.
Reheating
Oven. Reheat the chicken and the sides in the oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through.
Air Fryer. Reheat the peri peri chicken and the sides in the air fryer at 160°C (320°F) for about 10-15 minutes, skin side up.
Microwave. Add the peri peri chicken, corn and potatoes (or your choice of sides) into the microwave with a small splash of water over the chicken (this helps keep the moisture), heat for 1 minute, then turn the chicken, repeat for 3 minutes or until heated through.
Freezing
Freeze the chicken in portions for up to 3-12 months (depending on your method of freezing). I recommend vacuum sealer bags as they remove all the air, preventing freezer burn, but you could also wrap in aluminium, store in containers or ziplock bags (just be sure to remove as much air as possible and that your method has a tight seal).
Thaw overnight and reheat as above.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
To cook butterfly chicken, preheat your BBQ or oven to 180°C (350°F). Marinate the butterflied chicken, then grill skin-side down for 10-15 minutes. Flip and cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 74°C (165°F).
Place the chicken breast-side down and cut along both sides of the backbone using kitchen shears. Open it like a book and press down on the breastbone to flatten.
Peri peri chicken pairs well with roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, grilled vegetables, or a fresh green salad to balance the spicy, tangy flavours. You could also mix it up with a Potato Salad, Christmas Wreath Salad, or Aussie Summer Salad.
Other chicken meal prep recipes



I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - Love & Pasta, Lauren x

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Recipe

Grilled Peri Peri Chicken (BBQ Butterflied Chicken)
Ingredients
- 3 red chillis sliced + seeds removed (subs Note 1)
- 45 ml (3 tbsp) (~1 lemon) lemon juice
- 4 sprigs sprigs fresh oregano leaves only (subs Note 2)
- ½ red pepper/capsicum
- 4 garlic cloves
- 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil
- 1.5-2 kg (1 whole) chicken (Note 3)
Instructions
Butterfly (you could also make a whole roast chicken - see this post for tips)
- Prepare. Place the whole chicken breast-side down on a cutting board, using sharp poultry scissors or a knife.
- Remove the backbone. Cut along both sides of the backbone from tail to neck, then remove it. Apply firm pressure if needed near the ribs.
- Open and flatten. Open the chicken like a book, skin-side down, and press down on the breastbone until it cracks and the chicken lies flat.
Marinate Chicken
- Blend marinade. Combine the peri peri ingredients in a blender, adjust to taste, and blend to your desired consistency.
- Marinate. Pour the marinade over the butterflied chicken in a large bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Save leftover marinade for basting.
Option 1. Prepare
- Preheat BBQ. Preheat the grill to medium heat (180-200°C/350-400°F).
- Grill the chicken. Wrap chicken wings in aluminium (this will stop them from burning) then place the butterflied chicken skin-side down on the grill for 10-15 minutes until crispy. Flip and cook for another 20-30 minutes, basting with leftover marinade (see below for oven instructions)
- Rest and serve. Once the internal temperature hits 69°C (160°F), remove from heat and rest for 10 minutes so it reaches 74°C (165°F). Serve.
Option 2. Oven-bake
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Prepare a baking tray. Place the peri peri marinated chicken skin-side up on a baking tray or roasting pan (make sure it has a lip to collect the juices).
- Roast. Roast peri peri chicken for 10 minutes at 200°C (390°F), then lower the temperature to 180°C (360°F) for 35-45 minutes
- Rest and serve. Once internal temperature reaches 69°C (160°F) at the thickest part of the meat, remove from heat and rest for 10 minutes so it reaches 74°C (165°F). Serve.
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