That is my copycat of the FAMOUS Nando’s Peri Peri Hen Burger! A do-it-yourself Peri Peri Sauce does double responsibility because the marinade for the Portuguese fashion grilled rooster and to make a tingly creamy Peri Peri “Perinaise” pink sauce. Glorious for summer time BBQs!
Nando’s copycat Peri Peri Hen Burgers
Nando’s is a worldwide chain that’s recognized for the Portuguese fashion flame grilled rooster cooked with their well-known Peri Peri sauce. Right here in Australia, it has a cult following!
Since I created this copycat model, it’s been a favorite for out of doors BBQ gatherings, and for a lot of a number of years it was certainly one of my most requested recipes in my circles (till they tasted the Subsequent Massive Factor!). The Peri Peri sauce is a chilli primarily based sauce which is available in a wide range of spice ranges, from very gentle to extremely popular. It’s full flavoured but contemporary, and I describe it as “a celebration in your mouth”.
It does triple responsibility as a marinade for the rooster and two sauces for the burger: a creamy tingly pink Perinaise sauce (additionally a shameless Nando’s copycat) and utilizing it as a sauce as is. The mix of the creamy sauce with the contemporary Peri Peri sauce within the burger is a killer!



In regards to the copycat Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce
The do-it-yourself Nando’s Peri Peri sauce is a copycat that tastes remarkably much like the shop purchased model. However higher, as a result of it’s created from actual substances!
It’s a mix of contemporary pink chillies, capsicum/bell pepper, garlic, vinegar, oil plus herbs and spices (paprika, oregano, onion, sugar, salt, pepper). A concoction I cobbled collectively after an inspection of the Nando’s bottle – minus components and different thriller substances. 🙂
As for the making half? Simply blitz the whole lot collectively. It actually takes seconds!

Substances in Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce recipe
Right here’s what goes into my copy-cat Nando’s Peri Peri Sauce. In case you examine my recipe to the ingredient label of Nando’s Peri Peri sauce, you’ll discover that I don’t use precisely the identical substances as a result of this can be a home-version copycat, supposed to realize an analogous flavour utilizing readily accessible substances.
For instance, Nando’s makes use of a wide range of chillies (cayenne pepper, serrano and African Birds Eye chillis). I can’t think about making this sauce with out making it insanely spicy utilizing solely contemporary chillis, so I’ve used capsicum (bell pepper) as an alternative for spice-free pepper flavour, and added spiciness utilizing Birds Eye chillis. Don’t fear for those who can’t get these, it’s simple to substitute – see beneath.

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Birds Eye chillis – These are frequent right here in Australia and are pretty spicy. Use 3 for a gentle Peri Peri sauce (that is what I exploit), 1 for barely noticeable, and 5 for additional spicy. Observe: Keep in mind that the spiciness is diluted in the long run end result via the cooking course of, addition of mayonnaise and bitter cream into the Perinaise Sauce. So I prefer to make my sauce a bit of spicier than splendid as a result of I do know it’s not that spicy as soon as used within the burger.
Substitute with different contemporary chillies of alternative or dried chilli flakes (pink pepper flakes). Begin with much less, blitz, then you’ll be able to add extra later and blitz once more.
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Capsicum / bell pepper – As famous above, this provides good contemporary pepper flavour into the Peri Peri sauce with out spiciness. Use a medium one – if it’s too huge, your sauce might find yourself too thick.
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Garlic – It’s not Peri Peri Sauce and not using a good quantity of garlic in it!
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Malt vinegar – This brown vinegar is created from ale, is much less sharp and has a hotter flavour than common white vinegar. Substitute with pink wine vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
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Oil – Any plain impartial flavoured oil is okay right here, like canola or vegetable oil, and even an olive oil.
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Spices – Simply common on a regular basis spices! Onion, paprika and dried oregano. I like to make use of smoked paprika once I’ve obtained it for a contact of free additional smokey flavour. Nonetheless, I exploit common paprika in a pinch if I don’t have it.
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Purple meals colouring (non-compulsory) – To provide it a pink color enhance! Fully non-compulsory. I exploit pure pink meals colouring so I don’t maintain again utilizing colouring in meals. 🙂
Substances for Peri Peri Hen Burgers
And right here’s what you could make the burgers.
Hen breast or thigh fillets
Thigh fillets is the simpler possibility as a result of you’ll be able to simply use them with out pounding as they’re a juicier reduce of meat. For breast, I prefer to pound them so they’re extra even thickness so that they prepare dinner via evenly. Makes a distinction for this lean reduce!

Peri-naise (pink sauce!)
That is my copycat of the Nando’s Peri-Naise which is a Peri Peri creamy mayonnaise sauce. I believe Nando’s simply makes use of mayonnaise however I want to lighten it up a bit by utilizing a mixture of bitter cream and mayonnaise, that method I may be beneficiant with the quantity I exploit on my burgers and never really feel as responsible! (And belief me, you’ll want to be beneficiant with this sauce, it’s a necessary a part of the Peri Peri Burger expertise!).

The opposite burger issues
And lastly, to finish our Peri Peri Burgers, we simply want some tender white rolls, lettuce and tomato. Any lettuce you may have / can get is okay right here. I exploit butter lettuce (the beautiful tender form). Rocket and child spinach will probably be nice too, although I’d most likely keep away from utilizing chicory or different bitter lettuce varieties. If utilizing cos (romaine) or iceberg lettuce, contemplate shredding it.

Easy methods to make Nando’s Peri Peri Hen Burgers
I pound rooster breast to make it even thickness so it cooks evenly, and it makes the meat extra tender. This makes an actual distinction right here as a result of breast is such a lean reduce and liable to drying out (although the marinade additionally helps entice juices).
As a result of thigh fillets are a juicier reduce, I don’t pound them except they’re extraordinarily thick (ie make them a bit thinner) or if they aren’t giant sufficient (pound to make a bigger footprint so they’re a bit of bigger than the buns).
1. Pound and trim breast

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Cowl the rooster breast with go-between, a freezer bag or double layer of cling wrap, to guard it from tearing while you pound.
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Pound to 1cm / 0.4″ thickness utilizing a meat mallet or rollling pin.

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Minimize the rooster into burger-size items which might be a bit of bigger than the buns. Consider 20% shrinkage!
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Comparability or bun to rooster piece. 🙂
2. MAKING THE BURGERS

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Peri Peri Sauce – Blitz all of the substances till easy utilizing a stick blender, meals processor, or blender. It received’t be utterly easy, nevertheless it shouldn’t have arduous lumps in it.
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Peri-naise sauce – Use 3 tablespoons of the Peri Peri Sauce and blend it with the bitter cream and mayonnaise to make the Per-naise.

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Marinade rooster – Then use 1/2 cup of the Peri Peri Sauce to marinade the rooster. Marinade for not less than 3 hours, as much as 24 hours. (Even 48 hours is okay, I simply discover past 24 hours I don’t discover any distinction).
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Prepare dinner the rooster on the range or BBQ on medium warmth, or medium excessive in case your range is on the weaker aspect. Don’t prepare dinner it on too excessive a warmth else the marinade caught on the rooster will utterly burn! We simply need some genuine flame-grilled chargrilled spots on the rooster, with out making it utterly black.
Relaxation – As soon as cooked, relaxation the rooster for 3 to five minutes earlier than assembling the burger. This step permits the juices contained in the rooster to be re-absorbed into the meat fibres so you may have beautiful juicy rooster. Don’t skip this step!

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Assemble burger – Right here’s my meeting order: Peri-naise slathered on the bottom, then prime with lettuce, tomato and the rooster. Then I slather with extra Peri-naise and a heaping dollop of additional Peri Peri Sauce.
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Eat! Pop the lid onto your burger then sink your tooth into it!


Glorious for summer time gatherings
This Nando’s Peri Peri Burger was certainly one of my “go-to” recipes for gatherings throughout hotter months. I’d marinade big portions of rooster then fortunately let others volunteer to do the BBQ’ing whereas I did necessary hostessing duties like sipping wine and discussing the perfect worth hairdressers on the town with my associates.
As with all my “meals for a crowd”, I put these burgers out in a DIY scenario. Baskets of sentimental rolls, platters of lettuce and tomato slices with bowls of the Perinaise Sauce and Peri Peri Sauce on the aspect. Then everybody builds their very own burgers. NO PLATES. Te he! Napkins solely! Don’t make me wash up! -Nagi x
PS Pictured in put up with a peek of do-it-yourself wedges. Boy, what a combo. And wonderful for dipping into the Perinaise Sauce!
Watch the way to make it
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Nando’s Peri Peri Hen Burgers
Prep: 15 minutes
Prepare dinner: 15 minutes
Marinating time: 3 hours
Complete: 3 hours 30 minutes
BBQ, Dinner
Portuguese
Servings4
Faucet or hover to scale
Forestall display from sleeping
Directions
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Put together rooster breast – If utilizing breast, pound to 1 cm / 0.4″ even thickness (cowl with go-between or freezer luggage, use a meat mallet or rolling pin). Then trim every rooster piece so it’s a bit bigger than the buns (think about 20% shrinkage when it cooks).
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Peri Peri Sauce – Put the Per Peri Sauce substances in a jug and blitz till easy utilizing a stick blender, or different equipment of alternative (meals processor, blender, NutriBullet).
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Marinade rooster – Pour 1/2 cup of the sauce right into a bowl or ziplock bag. Add the rooster and switch to coat. Marinate for not less than 3 hours, or as much as 24 hours, within the fridge.
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Perinaise – Combine collectively the Perinaise substances. Put aside.
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Prepare dinner rooster – Warmth 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a fry pan over medium / medium-high warmth, OR brush BBQ grill with oil then warmth. Prepare dinner breast for 3 minutes on either side, thighs for 4 minutes (in batches, if they will not match within the pan), decreasing the warmth as wanted if they’re charring an excessive amount of (char = legit!).
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Relaxation – Take away the rooster onto a plate, loosely cowl with foil and relaxation for five minutes. (In the meantime, toast the rolls)
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Assemble – To make the burgers, unfold the bottom of a roll with Peri-naise. Prime with lettuce, tomato then rooster, then prime with extra Peri-naise and additional Peri Peri sauce if desired!
Recipe Notes:
Finest substitute – Thai chillies, adopted by pink pepper flakes / chilli flakes (begin with much less, blitz, style, repeat as wanted).
2. Malt vinegar – Brown vinegar created from ale, nuttier and fewer sharp than most vinegars. Substitute with pink wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
3. Purple meals colouring – For legit trying Peri Peri pink sauce. Fully non-compulsory!
Leftovers – Cooked rooster will hold for 3 to 4 days within the fridge. Peri Peri sauce will hold for 3 to 4 days (or freeze 3 months), and the pink sauce will hold for not less than per week.
Vitamin per burger, assuming half the pink sauce is used (common utilization) and 1/2 of the Per Peri sauce is leftover too (use it for dipping, pour over veg, dollop on scrambled eggs, unfold like pesto on sandwiches. SO GOOD!).
Vitamin Data:
Energy: 472cal (24%)Carbohydrates: 30g (10%)Protein: 32g (64%)Fats: 24g (37%)Saturated Fats: 4g (25%)Polyunsaturated Fats: 9gMonounsaturated Fats: 9gTrans Fats: 0.1gLdl cholesterol: 90mg (30%)Sodium: 1326mg (58%)Potassium: 711mg (20%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 2769IU (55%)Vitamin C: 42mg (51%)Calcium: 119mg (12%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Extra Burgers, Sliders and Sandwiches
Lifetime of Dozer
And Lifetime of Dozer on the guide tour continues!

Final weekend we had two extra guide signing occasions in Sydney. The primary at Westfield Warringah Mall, my previous stomping floor the place all of it started. So beautiful to speak to locals!! And on Sunday within the Shire at Westfield Miranda.


Dozer was fairly the social butterfly, questioning round amongst the crowds to greet everybody whereas I used to be firmly planted at my signing station! Right here’s a bit of residence video I put collectively. The sight of Dozer waddling via the Westfield is simply the whole lot!
The following legs of the guide tour are interstate, which sadly Dozer can’t accompany me to as a result of, are you able to imagine it, Australia wouldn’t change their aviation legal guidelines and permit canines within the cabin so he might include me. 😤😂
However, he’s with me in spirit. Or extra particularly, in my homework, as I proceed to signal guide plates on his behalf at each alternative, all over the place and anyplace!
