Copycat Nando's Peri Peri Chicken Sandwich Recipe

If you are looking for simple, high-quality food that packs a real punch in the flavor department, look no further than Nando's. This multinational restaurant chain is known for its consistently well-cooked, succulent, and well-spiced chicken, as well as its fun side dishes, its affordability, and casual dining style. While it is always great to head out and enjoy a Nando's, you can also recreate one of the chain's most iconic dishes — a peri-peri chicken sandwich — right in your own home.

This copycat Nandos peri-peri chicken sandwich recipe, from the kitchen of recipe developer Jennine Rye, shows you how simple it is to make everyone's favorite chicken sandwich from scratch. While it is possible to buy Nando's peri-peri sauce from certain supermarkets, it only takes a few minutes to whip up your own with the help of some hot Bird's eye chiles to create that iconic Nando's spice. Boneless chicken thighs are marinated in peri-peri sauce before being charred in a hot pan, and then served up with a generous helping of peri peri mayonnaise and some crisp lettuce, red onion, and tomatoes, to add freshness to the sandwich. Simple yet delicious!

To begin this copycat Nando's peri-peri chicken sandwich recipe, first you will need to gather the ingredients. For the peri-peri sauce you will want half an onion, garlic cloves, white vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, Bird's eye chiles, smoked paprika, rosemary, cayenne pepper, and salt. To make the sandwiches you will need mayonnaise, chicken thighs, bread buns, arugula, sliced red onion, and tomatoes.

Add the white onion, garlic cloves, white vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, chiles, smoked paprika, rosemary, cayenne pepper, salt, and 2 tablespoons of water to a blender.

Blend well for 20 seconds to create the peri-peri sauce.

Mix 1 teaspoon of the peri-peri sauce into the mayonnaise and set aside.

Add the peri-peri sauce to the chicken thighs.

Make sure the chicken is throughly coated, and then leave the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron pan to a high heat.

Add the marinated chicken thighs to the pan.

Cook for 6 to 8 minutes on one side, until nicely charred.

Flip the chicken thighs and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until cooked through, then remove from pan.

To assemble the sandwich, spread a spoonful of peri peri mayonnaise on the base of the bread buns.

Top with arugula, sliced tomatoes, and red onion.

Top with two pieces of peri-peri chicken.

Top with more peri-peri mayonnaise and the lid of the bun, and serve immediately.

Peri-peri sauce is quintessential to Nando's menu, so if you've ever eaten at the restaurant itself, then you've very likely come in contact with the spicy stuff. Sometimes also known as piri piri or pili pili sauce, peri-peri sauce originated in Southeast Africa, though Portuguese settlers did experiment and shape the sauce as well, hence why peri-peri is commonly associated with Portugal. Nando's itself notes that, while the restaurant chain started in South Africa, peri-peri hails from the country's neighbor, Mozambique. 

The core ingredient in peri peri sauces is the African Bird's eye chile, which isn't necessarily known to be an ultra-spicy pepper, but it certainly can pack a punch (especially given its unsuspecting, tiny size). Peri-peri sauce, while containing the chile, can vary greatly in its spice levels depending on how the sauce is made. Nando's itself serves a variety of peri-peri sauces ranging from mild to extra extra hot, and also includes other flavorings such as garlic, lemon, and herbs, to give the chicken its unique flavoring. Peri-peri sauce is wonderfully versatile and can be used in a variety of ways, as well as pairing with other meats besides chicken.

If you are looking for a way to switch up this copycat Nando's peri peri chicken sandwich, there are plenty of simple ways to keep things fresh and interesting, or to suit any personal preferences. This recipe uses chicken thighs for wonderfully succulent fried chicken, though these can easily be swapped for chicken breast. Peri-peri sauce is not only great with chicken, but it also makes a great marinade for fish and other proteins, and if you are looking for a vegetarian option halloumi or portabello mushrooms both make excellent substitutions for the protein in this recipe.

If you want to dial up or dial down the heat in this dish, this can easily be done by adjusting the amount of Bird's Eye chiles added to the peri-peri sauce. Of course, if you want to speed up the process a little more, it is possible to buy Nando's peri-peri sauce in certain supermarkets, meaning you can skip a step or two and still enjoy that classic Nando's flavor.

For simpler customizations, adding some sliced avocado will add delicious cooling creaminess to the sandwich. A few sliced pickles will work really well alongside the peri-peri sauce, and slaw will add freshness and texture to the sandwich.