Copycat Meals: Nandos Peri Peri Chicken?

June 14, 2015 , Passmethedimsum

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Last night I purchased my very first bottle of Nandos Peri Peri Marinade. I’m a veteran when it comes to their sauces, but this was my first time trying the marinade.

For lunch today, I made the chicken, along with some sautéed mushrooms and my take on the spinach that is offered as a side on the Nando’s menu.

Here’s what I did:

Copycat Meals: Nandos Peri Peri Chicken?

Copycat Meals:  Nandos Peri Peri Chicken?

Ingredients

    Chicken
  • 250 grams chicken breast. (I went for skinless.) Note: I did not butterfly or tenderize it in any way.
  • A quarter of the bottle of marinade
  • A drizzle of olive oil (I did this because the chicken was skinless, but next time, I'll try making it without any oil and see how that works out)
  • Sauteed Mushrooms
  • 2/3 cups fresh, sliced button mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon of butter
  • drizzle of balsamic vinegar
  • half a teaspoon of finely chopped garlic
  • a pinch of salt
  • a quarter teaspoon chili flakes (this is optional because I like everything a little spicy)
  • Spinach
  • 2/3 cups of boiled spinach. (I keep some boiled and frozen spinach on hand at all times. I thaw it when needed for a quick meal)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (I like things very garlicky. You can actually use a lot less)
  • 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
  • pinch of salt
  • drizzle of mustard oil.

Instructions

    Chicken
  1. Mix the marinade to the chicken in a ziplock bag and refrigerate overnight.
  2. Bring the chicken to room temperate for quicker and more even cooking.
  3. Slap it onto a hot pan. I went for a non-stick pan. Now, a chicken breast that hasn't been butterflied is a really thick slab of meat, so I covered the pan with a lid and left it to cook on low heat for a good 20 minutes, turning it over every 10 minutes.
  4. Once the water had dried, I added more water, covered with a lid and cooked for another 20 minutes to get it nice and tender.
  5. Sauteed Mushrooms
  6. Add all these ingredients into a hot skillet and sauté on high flame for 2-4 minutes.
  7. Spinach
  8. Mix all the ingredients in a small pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and bring to a boil. When the spinach reaches the consistency that can be eaten with a fork, you're done.
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Although I was pleased with the so called “sides”, the chicken tasted nothing like Nando’s. Was it because I made it in a non-stick Tefal instead of flame grilling it? Maybe. Or is there something else I’m not doing right? Who knows? I certainly don’t 😛 Hey, you win some, you lose some, right? Let me know if you’ve had a better experience with homemade Nando’s copycat meals in the comments below 🙂