Frango Piri Piri — Portuguese Grilled Chicken with Hot Pepper Sauce

Place the chicken breast-side down and, using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone from end to end and remove it (save it for stock). Turn the chicken over and press firmly on the breastbone with the heel of your hand; it will flatten with a crack. Pat it thoroughly dry with paper towels, especially on the skin side.

Remove the stems from the dried peppers and shake out the seeds if you want to reduce the heat. Soften the peppers in hot water for 10 minutes. Blend them with the garlic, pimentón, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, thyme, and salt, then slowly stream in the olive oil to emulsify the sauce. Divide it exactly in half: one half for the marinade and one half for basting.

Rub one half of the sauce over both sides of the chicken. Slide your fingers under the breast skin to separate it from the meat, then spread some marinade underneath as well. The sauce under the skin flavors the meat directly as it cooks. Place the bay leaf beneath the chicken and refrigerate the dish.

Heat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Set the chicken skin-side up on a wire rack over a baking sheet. If cooking over charcoal, place it beside the coals rather than directly above them; piri piri cooks with heat, not flames, which would burn the sauce. The skin should not become dark at this stage.

Baste the chicken with the reserved half of the sauce every 5 minutes, until the skin is dark reddish brown. Because the sauce contains sugar, it can darken quickly in the final minutes, so watch it closely. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone; do not remove the chicken from the heat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F.

Brush the rested chicken with melted butter; this finishing touch at Portuguese churrasqueiras gives the skin a sheen. Using a heavy knife, separate the thighs, wings, and breasts. Serve with fried potatoes, lemon wedges, and any remaining sauce.