Piri Piri Chicken

I was wading through Yottam Ottolenghis's new book 'Jerusalem' in which almost every recipe is accompanied by food images that are so good, they are almost pornographic. The book is bloody fantastic, the man is a genius. I went for the rice with chickpeas, sultanas and herbs and bits (seen in the background here) - but needed something red and spicy to accompany. I am aware that Piri Piri chicken is of Portugese origin, but I am sure there are some Jerusalem-ites out there munching on something like this right now (probably in Nandos!).

This dish will serve four, but I only fed two reserving the remaining chicken and sauce for another dish we ate later in the week - tres frugal! I'll blog in due course.

Ingredients:

Free range chicken legs - 4

Red & Yellow peppers - 1 of each, deseeded and cut into 6 

Fat green chillis - 2 or 3, split in half, deseeded if you wish

Red Onion - 1 small, finely sliced

Garlic - 2 fat cloves, crushed

Dried thyme - 1/2 tsp

Dried Oregano - 1 tsp

Sherry Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 a lemons worth

Sugar - 1 tsp

Passata - 1 carton

Worcestershire Sauce - 1 tbsp

Smoked paprika - 1 tbsp

Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Season and fry the chicken legs, skin side down in a little oil until deeply golden. Flip over and colour the flesh side as well, then drain and transfer the legs to the bowl of a slow cooker or a casserole dish. Finely slice the red onion and gently fry in the same pan until soft and starting to colour. Crush and add the garlic and cook for a further minute or two.

Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and lemon juice. Chuck the lot in with the chicken along with the rest of the ingredients. Lid on, slow cooker on (or into an oven set to 150c), simmer for 2 to 3 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. Taste and season with salt, pepper, more vinegar and sugar if you think the sauce needs it. Serve with rice.