Easy Baked Peri Peri Chicken Wings- Nando's Copycat

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These smoky sticky peri peri chicken wings are the perfect Nando's copycat! These wings are tossed with a homemade marinade then oven-baked and finished under the grill. That means perfectly crispy and smoky wings every time.

Peri peri chicken wings on a white tray.

These chicken wings are simply marinated and baked. Brushed with a smoky sauce then grilled. Crispy oven-baked wings in less than 1 hour!

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How to get the signature Nando's smoky flavour

Nando's is famous for its peri peri chicken recipe. It's defining characteristics are

  1. The chargrilled flavour
  2. The smoky/ spicy marinade

So with this wing recipe, we're doing both. The marinade is a few everyday ingredients that you blend up to a smooth paste. Toss with the wings and leave for an hour or overnight then bake the wings to crispy perfection.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

  • Chicken wings are very affordable.
  • Marinating the wings adds so much flavour with very little effort.
  • These peri peri wings are great for making ahead.
  • They are the perfect Nando's fakeaway.

Ingredients needed

Aldi ingredients for making per peri chicken wing marinade.
  • chicken wings
  • lemons
  • red chilli peppers
  • onion salt/ onion powder
  • smoked paprika
  • fresh garlic cloves
  • peri peri spice (optional)
  • honey
  • fresh parsley for serving

See the recipe card for quantities.

Step By Step Instructions

1 & 2

Chilli peppers in a food processor.
  • Place the paprika, garlic, onion salt and red chilli peppers in the bowl of a food processor. Squeeze in the lemon juice.
  • Blend the ingredients until you have a (mostly) smooth paste. It's completely fine if there are small pieces of pepper that haven't completely blended.

3 & 4

Chicken wings in marinade in a bowl and on a baking tray.
  • Place the wings in a large bowl and toss them with the marinade. Leave the wings to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. This is a very full flavoured sauce so even an hour will impart so much flavour.
  • Line a baking tray with some foil (shiny side down) and spread the wings on the tray. Bake them in a very hot oven for about 25 minutes. Turn the oven onto the grill/ broil setting. Drizzle the wings with a teaspoon of honey and continue to cook until the wings have turned a very deep golden brown, the skin is crispy and starting to char in some places.
  • Once the wings are cooked through place them on a tray and serve with your favourite dipping sauce and lots of extra lemon wedges.

Recipe: FAQ

What does piri piri taste like?

Piri piri is a Portuguese flavour that is also found all over Africa. It's spicy, salty, sweet and sour all at the same time. It also often has a smoky element based on the cooking method and the addition of smoked paprika.

How long do wings need to cook for?

Chicken wings are cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 75C or 165F. If you are using an oven preheated to about 200C (390F) it should take about 20-25 minutes for your wings to cook through.

How long should I marinate chicken wings for?

Because chicken wings are small, they soak up the flavour of the marinade quite quickly. These peri peri chicken wings take on the spicy smoky flavour of the seasoning in about an hour. But the longer you leave them, the stronger the flavour will become.

Can I grill these wings?

Absolutely! This peri peri chicken wing recipe is so versatile. You can grill them on a BBQ or just bake them and skip the grilling process altogether.

Chicken wing pro tips

Chicken wings are easy to make, but there are a few key elements you need for success.

  • Use some paper towel to dry off each wing before marinating. This helps the seasoning to stick to the wings and absorb more easily. It also is the key step in getting the crispiest skin possible.
  • Line your baking tray with foil. But make sure the shiny side of the foil is facing down so it doesn't reflect the heat. Lining your tray will save you from a messy clean up job.
  • You don't need to flip the wings while cooking. Baking in the oven is a dry heat cooking method which means the chicken skin gets crispy on both sides without the need to turn them over.

Equipment

Storage

Store the wings in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.

To reheat wings- Preheat the oven to 220c and place the cooked wings on a baking tray. Place in the oven for about 10 minutes until the wings are hot all the way through.

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Nando's copycat peri peri chicken wings on a white tray.

Peri Peri Chicken Wings

Spicy, smoky and sticky these peri peri chicken wings are the perfect Nando's copycat. Chicken wings marinated in a homemade peri peri sauce and baked until crispy and slightly charred.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Resting TIme: 1 hour
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken wings

Marinade ingredients

  • 2 large red chillies *see notes
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon peri peri seasoning, optional
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon honey

Instructions

  • Roughly chop the chillies and remove the seeds if you prefer a more mild marinade. Place all the marinade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until you have a thick and smooth paste.
  • In a large bowl toss the wings with the marinade and cover in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
  • Preheat the oven to 200c and line a baking tray with foil. Bake the wings in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes. Turn the oven to the grill/ broil setting and continue to cook the chicken wings for a further 5-7 minutes until the skin is deep golden and starting to char in some areas and on the edges.

Notes

Note 1- If you are concerned about the marinade being too spicy, then you can scrape the seeds out of the chilli peppers and discard them.
Note 2- Preheating the the oven at 200c gets the chicken skin very crispy. If you are worried about the wings burning you can turn the oven down to 180c and bake a little bit longer.
Note 3- Lining the tray with foil helps cut down on the mess. You can skip this step and just put the wings straight onto the tray.

Nutrition

Calories: 255kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 69mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 206mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1298IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
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8 Comments

    1. Hi Lil! Yes. You absolutely can. Preheat your air fryer to 190ºC. Spray some cooking oil on both sides of the wings and place them directly onto the basket and cook for about 10 minutes before turning them over and cooking for another 6-7 minutes. Check them for doneness and cook for a few more minutes if it's required. I'll update the recipe with these cooking instructions. 🙂

    1. Hi Toby. Season according to your taste. I blend the sauce and add then add the salt. Start with 1/2 a teaspoon and go from there. Some people are very sensitive to it and some people aren't, so I never specify, but rather find it better to let everyone season to their own taste and tolerance. Hope that helps. 🙂

    1. Thanks so much, Susanne! So happy you loved it. And thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating! It's very much appreciated! 🙂

    1. So happy you loved them! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. It's much appreciated! 🙂