Healthier Frangos-style chicken

There are two ways to cook the chicken: on the barbecue or in the oven

By Justin Narayan | Jan 16, 2025

Forget store-bought marinades with all the nasties – we’ve got the perfect peri-peri chicken marinade recipe for you here. But first, some context.

Frangos was the original, local charcoal chicken for me. Every time we’d have a meeting for work or church or whatever, we’d end up at the Frangos in Bella Vista, the best charcoal chicken in the Hills (north west Sydney).

After many attempts making my own, I discovered a secret ingredient: whisky. A sneaky shot adds aroma and depth to the chicken that you can’t get from any other ingredient. Like the El Jannah-inspired recipe, this is really easy to do in bulk, it’s affordable and just insanely tasty.

Yields: 4 - 6

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (1.2–1.5 kg/ 2 lb 12 oz–3 lb 5 oz)
Flaky sea salt, to season

Marinade

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6–10 dried bay leaves, ground or blended into a fine powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
45 ml (1½ fl oz) lemon juice (from about 1½ lemons)
40 g (1½ oz) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons whisky
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Step 1

To prepare the chicken, either spatchcock it (page 118) or to get the authentic Portuguese look, do a reverse butterfly by removing the wishbone and cutting through the middle of the breasts, then flipping, breast side up, and pushing the whole chicken flat.

Step 2

Pat dry the chicken with paper towel. Mix all the marinade ingredients and a few cracks of black pepper in a large bowl. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Add to the chicken and lovingly massage in the marinade. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2 hours or overnight. (The longer you do it, the juicier and more flavoursome the chicken will be.) Take the chicken out of the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature.

Step 4

OPTION 1: BARBECUE Heat a barbecue grill plate on high. Season each side of the chicken with flaky sea salt, then place the chicken on the barbecue and grill, flipping one or two times, until charred and cooked through, about 20–25 minutes. Remove and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Step 5

OPTION 2: OVEN Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Season each side of the chicken with a light, even coating of flaky sea salt. Place the chicken on a baking tray, breast side up, and roast until the chicken is slightly charred and cooked through, about 25 minutes, basting with the juices in the bottom of the tray halfway through (if you can be bothered). Take it out and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

Step 6

Serve with your choice of sauce.

Justin’s latest cookbook, Everything Is Indian, is packed with delicious, simple Indian recipes that are simple to whip up and will leave a burst of flavour in your mouth. Recipes include how-tos and time-saving hacks so you can get the maximum deliciousness out of your time in the kitchen.