Portuguese Inspired Roasted Chicken with White Asparagus

Traditionally Portuguese chicken is prepared with a piri piri sauce. In this recipe, I took the liberty of making a marinade using dried chilli powder instead of piri piri chilli peppers. While this recipe might seem not authentic, they do taste amazing! For optimal results, the marinade should be left on the chicken for at least 2 hours, but even better if left overnight. Instead of white asparagus, you can use sliced potatoes or pumpkin.


2 Lemons, one juiced, one cut into 8 slices 5 tbsp Olive oil 4 Garlic cloves, peeled 1 tbsp Smoked paprika 1 tsp Sea salt 1 tsp Chilli powder, or to taste 1 tsp Red pepper flakes, or to taste 1 Bay leaf ½ tsp Freshly milled black pepper 8 Chicken thighs, bone in, skin on 800 g White asparagus, trimmed 1 tbsp Chopped parsley

Combine lemon juice, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic, paprika, oregano, sea salt, chilli powder, red pepper flakes, bay leaf, and black pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until sauce is very smooth.
Place the chicken thighs in a resealable plastic bag or a large bowl Pour the marinade over the chicken and stir to coat well. Seal the bag or cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 210C/420F. Peel the asparagus and cut off the woody ends.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large cast iron skillet. Add in trimmed white asparagus. Arrange the chicken thighs on top. Pour any extra marinade from the bowl over chicken and top chicken with lemon slices.
Place skillet in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 74C/165F. Garnish with chopped parsley.

9 comments:

Tom 4/3/26 12:49: ...Angie, this is a WOW!
ellie 4/3/26 13:11: Oh, such a beautiful dish! It looks lovely! & Spicy!
Caitlin&Megan 4/3/26 13:12: Awesome flavor! Such a great presentation!
Lori 4/3/26 13:54: The chicken looks so amazing!
Lola Martínez 4/3/26 13:59: Con esa marinada el pollo solo puede quedar de lo más sabroso. Una receta buenisima.
Judee 4/3/26 14:03: Another very beautiful and inviting dish. I don't think I've ever had Portuguese cuisine. I do like white asparagus.
DEZMOND 4/3/26 15:16: I am loving the square plates.
David Scott Allen 4/3/26 15:28: This does look fantastic, Angie. Is it Spargelzeit already? I love this with the white asparagus -- what a great pairing. I can also see t wit the potatoes.
Christine 4/3/26 15:41: Delicious