Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken Bowls with Charred Corn and Cilantro-Lime Rice

Blitz the chilies, garlic, vinegar, smoked paprika, lemon juice, olive oil and a good pinch of salt into a loose peri-peri marinade.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 6 boneless chicken thighs
• 4 red chilies (or 2 tbsp peri-peri paste)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 2 ears corn, husked
• 1 red bell pepper
• Small handful cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Blitz the chilies, garlic, vinegar, smoked paprika, lemon juice, olive oil and a good pinch of salt into a loose peri-peri marinade.
2. Coat the chicken thighs in half the marinade and let them sit while the grill heats; reserve the rest for basting and serving.
3. Grill the corn and whole red pepper over high heat, turning, until charred all over; slice the kernels from the cob and dice the pepper.
4. Grill the chicken over medium-high heat, basting with the reserved marinade, until lacquered and cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side; rest, then slice.
5. Stir the cilantro and lime juice through the warm rice with a pinch of salt.
6. Build bowls with the cilantro-lime rice, charred corn and pepper, and sliced peri-peri chicken.
7. Spoon over the last of the marinade as a fresh sauce just before serving.
8. Peri-peri - fiery little bird's-eye chilies - traveled from Africa to Portugal and back, becoming the signature of Portuguese-style flame-grilled chicken loved from Lisbon to Johannesburg. The trick is the double hit of the marinade: once to penetrate the meat over the coals, and once raw at the end for bright, garlicky heat. Served over zesty rice and smoky grilled corn, it makes a cookout lunch that eats like a feast.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 560 kcal
• Protein: 38g
• Fat: 26g
• Carbohydrates: 42g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 640mg