Instant Pot Piri Piri Chicken and Rice

I am so excited! I made Piri Piri Chicken in the Instant Pot!!!! The rice too! All at once, under pressure for just 4 minutes. If you are new to my blog I am a little Piri Piri obsessed. This is maybe the eleventh post I have written? Piri Piri is Portuguese in origin and popular in South Africa. It is used as a sauce, marinade or seasoning. Recipes vary but the common ingredients are bird's eye chilies, lemon, oil, red bell peppers and garlic. It is so delicious! You have to try something made with Piri Piri. 

Well let's back up a bit. After my post for Instant Pot Pork Chops and Celery Rice someone asked, "Can you use chicken?" I had to respond I don't know? So immediately I tried the technique with chicken cutlets and mushrooms. The chicken was perfectly tender but maybe a little drier than I liked. It was not moist but not dry either. So I thought a marinade would fix that. That is where Piri Piri came to mind. I really like the flavor of Piri Piri and most restaurants that serve it always offer rice as a side. It would be perfect for this technique. It worked so great! The rice was fluffy and the chicken flavorful and moist. I made my own Piri Piri sauce but you can buy bottled sauce at some grocery stores. I have seen the Nando's brand at my store. I like making my own because I can control the heat. You can use whatever hot peppers you like. Can't find bird's eye chilies? Use jalapenos or serranos. I find that as a raw sauce it is spicy but when cooked it is not that hot. The sweetness of the peppers come out when cooked. In fact, I think kids would probably enjoy the chicken and the adults can add the raw sauce for heat. It was so good! I only did two cutlets this time but I have cooked up to six without a problem. I wish I had some thin cut boneless pork chops because I am dying to try that too. I think it would be so tasty! I hope you will give Piri Piri and this #InstantPot recipe a try. Thanks for visiting today. I really appreciate it.

Instant Pot Piri Piri Chicken and Rice
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 chicken cutlets or 2 chicken breast, butterflied
Piri Piri Sauce <<Click here for recipe
Olive oil cooking spray
1-3/4 cups water
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1-1/2 tsp. chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp. Piri Piri Seasoning <<Click here for recipe
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
Kosher salt, to taste

Directions

Marinate chicken in Piri Piri Sauce for 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated until ready to cook.

Place Instant Pot on Saute. When hot spray or drizzle with olive oil, brown chicken on one side only. Remove chicken and turn off heat. Add water, stir well scrapping up any brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add rice, seasonings and garlic stir to combine. Arrange peas, onion and bell pepper on top of rice, then chicken. Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes. Turn off and let rest 5 minutes before performing a quick release. Remove Chicken and fluff rice with a fork. Taste for seasoning, adjust if necessary and serve. If you enjoy spicy foods serve with a little extra Piri Piri Sauce.

Don't have an Instant Pot or a pressure cooker? 

Try these recipes for the grill and microwave:

Piri Piri Chicken

Microwave Spiced Rice

Want a side or topping to accompany this dish. 

Check out these older posts:

Broccoli with Sweet Soy Glaze

Piri Piri Mushrooms

Piri Piri Squash

Piri Piri Grilled Asparagus

Spicy Cilantro Coleslaw

Piri Piri Ribeye Dinner

I told you about the early stages of experimenting with Piri Piri Butter. What I didn't tell you is that we tried it on more than just corn. I put some on steak that night too. It was delicious! That is what gave me the idea of making a piri piri steak dinner. Originally I was going to cook filet, but then I saw the prices I bought ribeye instead. Don't get me wrong I will try this on filet in the future. This combo of Piri Piri flavors, steak, asparagus and sweet potato is a great meal. I loved everything! I love the spice the Piri Piri Butter adds to the steak. The interesting thing is that the first bite it the best bite. That is when the Piri Piri flavors are most prominent. Contrary to other dishes where the heat continues to build. This butter just enhances the smokey, juicy grilled steak with spice. The asparagus and sweet potato are perfect accompaniments. I love the roasted bits on the asparagus and the caramelized grill marks on the sweet potatoes. So good! Definitely a fine plate of food to serve over and over again.

Wonkie color by iPhone

Piri Piri Ribeye 
Serves 2

Ingredients

1" thick Ribeye
Kosher salt, to taste
Piri Piri Seasoning
Piri Piri Butter

Directions

Remove steak from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Season with kosher salt and Piri Piri Seasoning.

Preheat grill to high heat for 10 - 15 minutes. Grill 4 minutes a side for medium rare or to your desired doneness. Remove from grill, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. To serve cut steak into two portions and top with a slice of Piri Piri Butter.

Color courtesy of iPhone

Piri Piri Grilled Sweet Potatoes

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Wash sweet potato and poke with a fork 4 to 6 times. Wrap in paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes. Flip potato over and microwave 3 more minutes. Allow potato to cool and slice into 1/4" thick slices. Rub each slice with olive oil and season with Piri Piri Seasoning and kosher salt to taste. Grill about 4 minutes a side until marked with grill marks.

Piri Piri Grilled Asparagus

Preheat grill to medium high heat. Wash and dry asparagus, drizzle with olive oil and season with Piri Piri Seasoning and kosher salt to taste. Grill rotating often until tender about 8 minutes total.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All Bloggy Friends
Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - BBQ

Piri Piri Butter

One day dear sister and I were looking for a way to season some grilled corn on the cob. I suggested we mix Piri Piri Sauce with butter. It was delicious but did not combine very easily. Then I saw Pioneer Woman make Bell Pepper Butter. I thought now that is how you make Piri Piri Butter. It worked beautifully. It is a delicious spicy butter that is great on corn, steak, veggies and even popcorn. It gets it's spice from the bird's eye chilies and the fresh garlic. The red bell pepper adds a fruity sweetness to balance the heat. Now don't be scared to give it a try, it is not too spicy. It is a butter and has all the creamy elements of butter with a little bit of heat. If you are still intimidated, try using a fresno chili instead of the bird's eye chilies. Just be sure to try this recipe. It is amazing!

Piri Piri Butter
Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

2 sticks salted butter
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
3 bird's eye chilies, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
Zest of one lime
1/2 tsp. cumin

Directions

Put the butter, red bell pepper, chilies, garlic, zest and cumin in a food processor and process until combined. Drain any liquid that may form and use right away. To serve later place the mixture into ramekins, or roll into a log with plastic wrap and chill until needed. For long term storage place plastic wrap roll of butter in a freezer bag removing as much air as possible and store in the freezer.

Print It

Love this butter on grilled corn! Or any corn really.

Great on steak! Check out this Piri Piri Ribeye Dinner.

iPhone photo, sorry the color is off

Delicious on Popcorn too! Melt a slice of Piri Piri Butter 

in the microwave and drizzle over fresh popped corn.

Linking to:
Miz Helen's Country Cottage: Full Plate Thursday
Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All Bloggy Friends

Piri Piri Salmon Tacos

I'm bringing Piri Piri back! Yes I am at it again, going to see how many times I can mention Piri Piri in a post. No really, I decided to put all the delicious Piri Piri seasonings, sauces and condiments to use tonight for tacos. I used salmon tonight but I look forward to trying many other varieties of fish and shrimp. The salmon is deliciously smokey from the Piri Piri Seasoning. The Spicy Cilantro Coleslaw adds fresh, sweet heat with the honey and jalapenos. The Piri Piri Mayo is creamy and spicy. It is the Piri Piri Sauce that is in there. I love the sweet flavor of the red bell pepper but it also brings the heat of the bird's eye chilies. It is funny that each component is spicy on their own but when you put it all together it to not too much. It is just right, great flavor and heat. I will definitely make these tacos again. I can't wait to roast a whole side of salmon and make these for Mom. It comes together so easily. This morning I made the Piri Piri Sauce first, then the Piri Piri Mayo and put them both in the frig to blend. Then about an hour before I was ready to eat put the coleslaw together. With all the components ready the cook and assemble was so fast. Another great, fast and healthy dinner thanks to Piri Piri.

Piri Piri Salmon Tacos
Serves 1

Ingredients

5 to 6 oz. Salmon filet
Piri Piri Seasoning, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
2 to 3 flour tortillas
2 to 3 tsp. Piri Piri Mayo
Spicy Cilantro Coleslaw
Cilantro, to garnish

Lime wedge

Piri Piri Sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with a little olive oil. Place salmon on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil. Season salmon with salt and Piri Piri Seasoning. Bake for 6 minutes, remove from oven and flake with a fork.


Place a skillet on high heat, when hot warm the tortillas on both sides until warm and blistered. 

To serve spread each tortilla with Piri Piri Mayo, top with Spicy Cilantro Coleslaw, salmon, a squeeze of lime, cilantro and more Piri Piri Sauce. 

Linking to:
My Turn for Us: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You do This Weekend?

Piri Piri Mushroom Burgers

Ever since I made Piri Piri Mushrooms I have wanted to use them on a Mushroom Cheese Burger. They are deliciously smoky and just a little spicy. So one night last week I made beef burgers with a little Piri Piri Sauce inside and Piri Piri Seasoning on the outside. It was delicious topped with swiss cheese and the mushrooms. Ask dear sister, she really liked it. She also enjoyed the grilled squash with Piri Piri Seasoning. We had a great dinner. It is amazing how much smoke flavor the Piri Piri adds to a traditional mushroom cheese burger. It was not too spicy just a tasty smoky twist on an original. Try it! It will just set your burgers apart from all the others. People will wonder what you know that they don't. It can be our little secret . . . Or, tell them where they can find more Piri Piri flavor. I appreciate all you reading and sharing!

Piri Piri Mushroom Burgers

Makes 3 servings

Ingredients

16 oz. ground beef (93% lean)

1 Tbsp. Piri Piri Sauce

Piri Piri Seasoning, to taste

6 slices Swiss cheese

Piri Piri Mushrooms

3 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 3 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Season both side with Piri Piri Seasoning.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 2 minutes. Place 2 slices of cheese on each burger, grill another 2 minutes. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast while cheese melts. Remove from grill and serve on hamburger buns with Piri Piri Mushrooms.

Piri Piri Squash

Yellow Squash, sliced + Olive Oil Spray + Piri Piri Seasoning

Grill over medium-high heat 4 minutes each side.

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Creative K Kids: Bloggers Brags Weekly Pinterest Party

Kneaded Creations: Tuesdays With a Twist

Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Piri Piri Turkey Burger

I have been experimenting with different Piri Piri Condiments. Recently I made Piri Piri Turkey Burgers. I used my new condiments, Pineapple Pico de Gallo, lemon zest and Piri Piri Seasoning. Do you think I left anything out? I tried to pack as much flavor in there as possible. I used Piri Piri Mayo inside the burger with the zest of one lemon. Then I seasoned the outside with the Piri Piri Seasoning. They were moist and well seasoned. I loved the rusty red color the seasoning gave them. They were also wonderfully smoky. I tried the Piri Piri Mayo and Pineapple Pico first. It was delicious but the winning condiment was the Piri Piri Ketchup. It was AMAZING! By far my favorite condiment I tried on the burgers. It complimented the Pineapple Pico de Gallo and for some reason it highlights the red pepper flavor in the Piri Piri Sauce. Delicious! It has that sweet and spicy thing going for it. I can't wait to try it out on the family. I think making sliders so everyone can try each version might be a good idea. I will be sure to share that experiment with you too.

Piri Piri Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

20 oz. ground turkey (93% lean)

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp. Piri Piri Mayo

Piri Piri Seasoning, to taste

Olive oil

Piri Piri Ketchup

Pineapple Pico de Gallo

4 Hamburger Buns

Directions

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine first 3 ingredients gently. Shape mixture into 4 patties, making the patties thinner in the middle then the edge. Coat hands in a little olive oil and rub on the outside of each patty. Season both side with Piri Piri Seasoning.

Grill, covered with grill lid, 6 to 7 minutes. Flip burger and grill covered for another 6 minutes. Place hamburger buns on the top rack of the grill to toast (optional). Serve on hamburger buns with Piri Piri Ketchup and Pineapple Pico de Gallo.

Shown above with Piri Piri Mayo

Linking to:

The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites

Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Ms. en Place: See Ya in the Gumbo

Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?

Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays

Back to the Basics: Tuesdays with a Twist

Dizzy, Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday

Creative K Kids: The Ultimate Party on Google+

Carole's Chatter: Food on Friday - Pineapple

Piri Piri Condiments

I have been experimenting with different Piri Piri Condiments. Piri Piri Mayo, Piri Piri Ketchup and even Piri Piri Barbecue Sauce. I started the experiment by mixing equal parts Piri Piri Sauce and the other condiments. All are delicious in their own way. Such an easy way to spice things up or replace your standard spread or sauce in all kinds of meals.

The Piri Piri Mayo is creamy and spicy. It was delicious on some fish tacos I made from leftover fried catfish from the church Men's Club Fish Fry. I made a simple cilantro slaw with honey, soy and rice vinegar. The tacos were a very tasty use of leftovers.

Pir Piri Mayo

1 Part Piri Piri Sauce + 1 Part Mayonnaise

The Piri Piri Ketchup is sweet and spicy. It was great with hashbrown potatoes. But it was by far my favorite condiment I tried on my Piri Piri Turkey Burgers. It complimented the Pineapple Pico de Gallo and for some reason it highlights the red pepper flavor in the Piri Piri Sauce. Delicious! Click here for more about the burger recipe.

Piri Piri Ketchup

1 Part Piri Piri Sauce + 1 Part Ketchup

Finally the Piri Piri Barbecue sauce is both smoky and spicy. I loved it with grilled chicken. I can't wait to try it on a beef burger seasoned with Piri Piri Seasoning. Do you think one can over use the words Piri Piri in a post? I think I can! I hope you will try a few of the new condiments. Let me know your favorite uses for each.

Piri Piri Barbecue Sauce

1 Part Piri Piri Sauce + 1 Part Hickory Barbecue Sauce

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Love Bakes Good Cakes: Freedom Fridays with All My Bloggy Friends

Piri Piri Mushrooms

I am still experimenting with the Piri Piri Sauce and Piri Piri Seasoning I made. Today I tried to make Piri Piri Mushrooms. This is only one of the toppings served in some Piri Piri restaurants. They were deliciously smoky and a little spicy. Great on the leftover Piri Piri Chicken. I can't wait to try them on a burger. I never think of mushrooms adding smoke to a dish but these certainly will. Yum!

Piri Piri Mushrooms
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. butter
2 Tbsp. red onion, diced
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
a sprinkle of Piri Piri Seasoning
1 Tbsp. Piri Piri Sauce

Directions

Place pan over medium high heat, melt butter in olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms. Season with Piri Piri Seasoning, saute until mushrooms begin to soften. Add Piri Piri Sauce continue to saute until mushrooms are brown and most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve as a topping for Piri Piri Chicken, Shrimp or Fish.

Linking to:
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites
Mary's Kitchen: Real Food Friday
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo

Piri Piri Seasoning

I have told you how much I enjoy Piri Piri Sauce. But did you know that there is also a dry Piri Piri Seasoning? Now that I have visited Boneheads I have got a taste for Piri Piri Seasoning too. They use it to season fish, chicken, shrimp, vegetables and even fries. It is really really good! Several people I know including myself are thrilled that Boneheads has come to Shreveport. They serve such tasty healthy meals. Love it! Well you know me, I love spice blends and re-creating restaurant meals at home. I just had to try making my own Piri Piri Seasoning. I did some research and it appears that there are many different recipes out there. I chose to start with the common ingredients in all blends; paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, sea salt, lemon, pepper and oregano. I left out spices like cumin, ginger and cardamon. I felt like they were more common in Mexican and Indian food. I have no idea if this is authentic. But it sure is good. I have used it on shrimp, chicken, zucchini and in Microwave Spiced Rice. So far it is awesome on everything. The lemon pepper adds some brightness to the smoked paprika and the cayenne some heat. I see using this seasoning often. I can't wait to try it on some fish real soon.

Piri Piri Seasoning

Makes about 1/4 cup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp lemon pepper

1/2 tsp oregano

Directions

Add everything to a small bowl, pour through a funnel into a jar, seal tightly and shake well.

Note: If you are looking for a salt free option, try omitting the salt and using Mrs. Dash Lemon Pepper Seasoning instead of lemon pepper. It is delicious!

Linking to:
Ms. enPlace: See Ya in the Gumbo
The Tumbleweed Contessa: What'd You Do This Weekend?
Reasons To Skip The Housework: Skip The Housework Link Party
Memories By The Mile: Treasure Box Tuesday
Stone Cottage Adventures: Tuesdays with a Twist
Anyonita Nibbles: #tastytuesdays
Dizzy Busy & Hungry: Wine'd Down Wednesday
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The Diary of a Real Housewife: Friday Favorites