Quick, delicious and easy, these Nando’s style Peri Peri Chicken Burgers make a great midweek meal any time of the year and are a great alternative to the usual burgers and sausages on the BBQ in summer!
I think it would be fair to say I am obsessed with Peri Peri Chicken. I just LOVE it! There’s just something about that combination of flavours that I can’t get enough of!
And it seems you guys are the same! One of my most popular recipes on Easy Peasy Foodie is my easy peasy take on Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken, which I serve with roasted corn on the cob and my Coconut Lime Rice. Honestly it is in my top 10 EVERY SINGLE WEEK!
And you know how much I like to give you guys more of what you love…and, well, with the warm weather recently, it’s BBQ season!! So what better recipe to make as my next Nando’s style recipe, than Peri Peri Chicken Burgers!
These homemade Nandos chicken burgers are ideal for BBQs, simply marinate beforehand and then they are ready to pop on the BBQ for that classic charred flavour – and they are as easy as cooking a beef burger! Serve in a toasted bun with all your favourite extras, and when you are accepting all those inevitable compliments, smugly keep to yourself just how EASY they actually are to make!
But don’t just keep this recipe for BBQs!! It also makes a really great midweek (or even weekend) recipe to do inside too. Simply cook in a frying pan or on a griddle pan – and they are nearly as delicious as a BBQ (and a lot less effort!).
Now obviously in an ideal world you would marinate these chicken burgers in the Peri Peri marinade for a couple of hours, or even longer if you have time to spare – and it will make a difference. But if you don’t have the time, even 10 minutes will give you a delicious result – great news if you are making these on a busy weeknight!
You can obviously serve these with whatever you like, but I put my Peri Peri Chicken Burgers in a toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomatoes and slices of red onion and served them with roasted corn on the cob (10-15 mins in a hot oven or on the BBQ) and a slight variation on my ever popular Mexican Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes (I missed out the paprika because there’s paprika in the Peri Peri Marinade and I wanted a contrast).
If you don’t fancy these suggestions, or if you are looking to create more of a spread, I can really recommend my Easy No Mayo Coleslaw, my Coconut Lime Rice, my Easy Tabbouleh Salad (it goes surprisingly well) or any of my other BBQ favourites.
Wine-wise, go for something like a zingy citrussy Sauvignon Blanc or a soft and fruity red, such as Grenache or Merlot.
If you like this recipe…
… you might also like
- Peri Peri Chicken Thighs
- Peri Peri Chicken Breasts
- Peri Peri Chicken Wings
- Peri Peri Chicken Traybake
- Homemade Nando’s Spicy Rice
Peri Peri Chicken Burgers (Nando’s Copycat)
Ingredients
Peri Peri Chicken Burgers:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons chilli flakes (or to taste)
- 4 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- Black pepper to taste
- 4 large boneless, skinless chicken thighs
To Serve (suggestions):
- 4 large burger buns, split in two and toasted
- Lettuce, sliced tomato and sliced onion
- Roasted/barbecued corn on the cob (10-15 mins on BBQ/in hot oven)
- Mexican Spiced Sweet Potato Cubes
- Or whatever you fancy!
Instructions
- Mix together all of the Peri Peri Chicken ingredients (apart from the actual chicken!) in a large bowl. Place the chicken in the bowl, turning to coat each piece of chicken with marinade. (You can do this in a ziplock bag if you don’t like getting your hands messy!)
- Marinate the chicken for 2 hours in the fridge or up to 24 hours if you have the time. Alternatively, just continue with the recipe.
- Heat your griddle/frying pan for 2 minutes over a high heat (or prepare your BBQ the usual way). Place the chicken in the pan/on the BBQ and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side (depending on thickness – you can check if your chicken is done by cutting into the thickest one – if it’s not raw and pink, you are good to go!).
- Serve with all your favourite extras!
Notes
Pin Peri Peri Chicken Burgers for later
FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan
Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK HERE to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Easy Dinners Meal Plan today!
Don’t want to miss a thing?
Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Or why not subscribe to my blog and get delicious, stress free recipes straight to your inbox every week?
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
These look so delicious – better than Nando’s. I love using chicken thighs and the tasty char you have got on them is so inviting. x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Cat! Glad to meet a fellow chicken thighs fan. I always wonder why chicken breast are so much more popular when chicken thigh is cheaper, tastier AND easier to cook! Eb x
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
These look soo yummy I’m starting to get hungry which is not good considering it’s almost 9pm lol. Peri Peri chicken is legendary and your burgers look so good there is no way I’m not trying them myself. 🙂 x
Eb Gargano says
Haha – well, if I am making you feel hungry when you shouldn’t be, I think I’ve done my job properly! Thanks for your kind comments – would love to know what you think if you try them! Eb x
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I am such a fan of peri peri, but I haven’t made it in a long while. This is the perfect excuse to reacquaint myself! These burgers look so delicious and flavorful. This is a job for my grill-meister husband!
Eb Gargano says
Me too! Such delicious flavours. There is just something almost magical about that particular combo – and it is so delicious on these grilled thighs. Perfect for the BBQ!! Eb x
Jessica Cantoni says
I LOVE a peri peri burger! This copy cat recipe looks spot on! Thanks for sharing to my world food linky 🙂 x
Eb Gargano says
Yay! They are so good aren’t they? Thanks for your kind comments 🙂 Eb x
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
Can I confess I’ve never been to Nandos – but my boys have many a time so I know they would be very very happy if I were to make this so I’m pinning for later. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare and congrats at the new Foodies 100 ranking. Only a matter of time before you are in the top 3 I think!
Eb Gargano says
Gasp! How have you managed not never darken the door of a Nando’s?? Glad to hear this would go down well with your boys. Do let me know what you think if you try it! And thanks so much for your kind comments about my badge!! Did you mean top 30? That I could see happening soon. Top 3 I would think is a loooong way off!! Eb x
Corina Blum says
These look so good and I love the fact that you’ve used chicken thighs to make them. They’d be just perfect on the bbq this weekend! Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Corina – I do love chicken thighs – so versatile! And yes perfect for the BBQ, although very nice done on a griddle inside too! Eb x
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
It’s thighs all the way here…. much prefer them to any other cut!
Loving the sound of the flavours here Eb…. and especially tempted with the charcoal edges! x
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Kate! I do love a charcoal edge 🙂 Eb x
dannie says
great peri peri chicken burger though I would prefer eating mine without the raw onion slices in it.it doesn’t react very well with my stomach,what would recommend as the alternative to that?
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Dannie! So pleased you like it. To be honest you could leave the raw onion out and it would be fine. Or alternatively you could maybe add in some cucumber or pickles or really anything else you like on a burger. Feta cheese would also taste great! Eb 🙂
Amanda says
Made this tonight with rice salad and the spicy sweet potatoes – wow flavours were amazing! Tomorrow we are having the warm lamb and halloumi salad can’t wait. I am not very confident with mixing spices together but the flavours go incredibly well. Thank you for the inspired recipes, my family and i are all very appreciative ? looking forward to trying lots more!!
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy you and your family are enjoying my recipes so much!! And than you so much for taking the time to let me know – it means a lot! Eb 🙂
Chloe says
I’ve been craving a cheeky one all week. Might have to put this on the menu planner for next week. Also need to start a menu plan. But no, its happening – can’t wait!
Eb Gargano says
Yay! So pleased you like the recipe… let me know what you think! Eb x
Loops says
We had these tonight in a kind of lockdown Nando’s fakeaway – they were delicious, thanks for the recipe.
Eb Gargano says
Aw yay! I am so happy to hear that 😀
Ingrid Hanson says
I discovered this recipe a year or so ago, and I’m addicted! The flavors are just amazing! For all of the commenters saying it looks good, but they haven’t tried it yet, MAKE IT SO! It’s the best chicken recipe I’ve ever tasted. It’s so addictive I’ve been known to have one of these burgers five days in a row, and still crave it for dinner.
The only change I made was to cut the chicken thigh into around 1-inch strips, for more surface to absorb the marinade. Instead of chili flakes I use my homemade chile powder from the hot chiles I grow. A trick I read online to take the bitterness out of the raw onions is to bring some water to the boil, take it off the heat, put in the onion rings for 60 seconds, then drain and run cold water over them to prevent further cooking. It takes out the bitterness and the onion develops a bit of a sweet flavor.
I usually quadruple the marinade recipe and freeze it in a container so that it’s around half an inch or so deep. When frozen, I pop it out of the container and cut it into cubes, put those in a zip-loc bag in the freezer. It’s so easy to take out a few cubes, depending on how much chicken you’re making.
I realize Nando’s peri peri marinade is available bottled in some stores here in Oregon, but I have absolutely no desire to try them. Fresh is better, and you know exactly what’s going into it — no preservatives, etc. The fresh lime juice just makes the marinade sing.
Eb, thank you so very, very much for this fantastic recipe!
Eb Gargano says
Hi Ingrid, Thank you so much for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating! I love your tips and tweaks, too… especially the freezing in cubes idea – that’s total genius! And I couldn’t agree more with ‘fresh is better’! Eb 🙂