Piri-piri chicken is a perfect dish for the slow cooker. A homemade spicy sauce cooks with chicken in this healthy version of an Portuguese classic.
Ok confession time – I have not been to Portugal. I don’t know anyone from there and I did not get this recipe from anyone I know. This is my best try at piri-piri. I make this frequently and it’s always a hit. This may not be a traditional piri-piri but it’s still dang good if I must say so myself. Plus it’s another trifecta recipe! Yup, this one too is paleo, whole30, and low-carb.
homemade piri piri sauce
The sauce is light and healthy. It’s a lemon based sauce with some spicy…spices. This recipe has some heat to it. At least I find it on the spicy side. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I know going in, it might not look like enough sauce because the chicken will not be fully submerged but trust me, it is.
before
Like most of my recipes you can use pretty much any cut of chicken whether it’s a whole chicken, legs, thighs, etc. Personally I think dark meat (legs or thighs) work best with this recipe. But that’s just me. White meat does work too. If you do use white meat, you will want to lower the cook time by an hour or so, otherwise your meat might over-cook.
after
While I did not do this, if you want your chicken to have crispy skin – once it’s done cooking, remove it from the slow cooker and broil it in your oven for a few minutes.
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Slow Cooker Piri-Piri Chicken (Paleo,Whole30,Low-Carb)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 lbs chicken
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 1 lemon, sliced
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Place sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add chicken on top.
- In a small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients. Pour sauce over chicken.
- Top with lemon slices.
- Cook HIGH 2-3 hours or LOW 4-6.
You can serve this chicken so many different ways. If you’re low-carb suggestions include over zoodles, riced or mashed cauliflower. If you’re paleo or whole30, this goes great with potatoes or sweet potatoes.
If you make this, I would love to hear if you find it spicy or not.
PIN FOR LATER
Been looking for something exactly like this, thank you! Quick question: do you think this recipe works well multiplying for more servings? I’d love to serve at a party alongside other tasty Portuguese treats, but want to plan appropriately for a larger slow cooker batch.
Thanks!
Absolutely. I have doubled this recipe to feed a larger crowd and it came out great. To the right of the ingredients list, there’s a ‘SCALE’ button that will double to triple the recipe ingredients for you.
This was absolutely fantastic! Made the dish exactly as described, but used skinless boneless thighs. Six hours of cooking time on low. Very, very flavorful. Just the right amount of spice and heat. I had some leftover tortillas, so I shredded the chicken and put it on them. Absolutely fantastic.
Thank you for the feedback! This comment seriously made my day. I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it. It’s a personal favorite:-)
Made this for a party tonight and it was delicious!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for the feedback.
Hey Shannon! I tried out this recipe this week and LOVED it! It re-heated great as well (almost better than the original eat because I cooked it a little too long so the chicken was dry). I’m actually featuring it on my website (and giving you all the credit and linking back here 🙂 ) this week as I talk about Portugal. Thanks again – this was such a great recipe!
I just made chicken earlier this week. But guarantee next time I make chicken, I am doing this!!! I love working with my slow cooker and this is a new twist to chicken I have to try.
I hope you enjoy the recipe! I love my slow cooker too (as you can tell hahaha) and I’m always looking for new recipes so if you have any, send ’em my way! xShannon