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.
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
- The chargrilled flavour
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
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.
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.
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.
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
- baking tray
- bowl for marinating
- food processor for making the marinade
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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Recipe
Peri Peri Chicken Wings
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.
Gina
These wings were amazing! They turned out crispy, spicy, and absolutely full of flavour.
Deborah Rainford
So happy you loved them! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating. It's much appreciated! 🙂