Nando's Peri Bites

Nando’s has taken grilled chicken to a whole new level and the secret’s in their sauce. But eating at Nando’s can put a nifty dent in your pocket. Thankfully, the sauces are readily available at any good grocery store and/or hyper market.

Like my fellow bird lovers, I go to Nando’s for the best grilled chicken on the planet, but to truly whip up an appetite and to get the taste of what’s to come, you have to order the Peri Bites. These mouth-watering chillies are deep-fried with a crisp coat, and have a cheesy centre with a little chunk of their famous peri-basted chicken. For those unlucky few who live in a country where Nando’s doesn’t serve these treats, here’s a pocket-friendly way to try these out within the confines of your own homes.

Ingredients

• ½ chicken breast
• 2 tsp peri-peri sauce (hot or wild flavor)
• ½ tsp cooking oil
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp milk
• 2 tbsp grated cheese (cheddar or mozzarella or one tbsp each)
• 8-10 green chilies (approx. 3 inches in length)
• 1 egg white
• 2 tsp flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper
• 1 cup bread crumbs (for coating)
• 1 cup milk (for coating)
• A piping bag with the long nozzle (thin opening) or a sterile syringe (with the needle removed)

Method

1. Take the chicken breast and cut it into small ½ inch pieces
2. Put cooking oil in a frying pan, add the chicken and the peri-peri sauce, and cook until the chicken is tender (approx. 80% cooked)
3. In another sauce pan, heat the milk and add the cheese to it; when the texture is nice and smooth, let it sit till it reaches room temperature
4. Mix in the mayonnaise to the cheese sauce and fill it up in the piping bag or syringe
5. Using a knife, carefully make a cut perpendicular to the base of the chilies, 1 to 1.5 cm in length; remove the seeds with caution without tearing the chili surface
6. Insert one chicken chunk into each chili followed by a small quantity of the cheese sauce using a piping bag or syringe
7. Keep these chilies in the freezer for 1 hour
8. Now mix the egg white in a separate bowl and pour it on top of the chilies; also mix in the flour, salt and pepper into the mix and coat all the chilies evenly
9. Roll each chili in bread crumbs, followed by a dip in the milk and back into the bread crumbs for a nice, thick coat
10. Once all chilies are done, put them in the freezer for another 15 minutes so that the coating can settle properly
11. Deep fry in very hot oil until they have a nice golden coat
12. Serve immediately with peri-peri sauce, tomato ketchup or mayonnaise

The image above shows the results I got from my first attempt and I know I did a sloppy job on the coating, but you can do better; believe me. I hope you enjoy these insane appetizers as much as I did deconstructing them.

Cheers!

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