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Churrasco Chicken

Dinner 🍽️Lunch 🥪 Brazilian 🇧🇷Portuguese 🇵🇹 High-Protein 💪Sugar-FreeDiabetic-FriendlyGluten-FreePaleo 🦴Comfort-Food

Churrasco Chicken features boneless, skin-on thighs soaked in a garlicky chili-and-herb paste that infuses deep smokiness on the grill. The skin crackles while paprika, cumin, and oregano build warmth, finished with a lively citrus hit. Ideal for a weekend cookout or casual dinner, it delivers juicy meat with bright, peppery zest in every bite.

  • Prep15 mins
  • Cook20 mins
  • Serves4
  • DifficultyMedium
Churrasco Chicken
  1. 1

    Make 2 very shallow cuts in the skin of the chicken thigh, perpendicular to the bone and about 1 inch apart, cutting through the skin but not down to the bone.

  2. 2

    Flip the thighs over, and make a cut directly along the top of the bone in the same direction from one end to the other. Use the tip of the knife to trim along both sides of the bone until you can slide your fingers underneath. Slide the knife under the bone, and cut toward both ends to remove it. Trim off any remaining cartilage.

  3. 3

    Place the prepared thighs into a resealable plastic bag set in a bowl.

  4. 4

    Add the garlic, chili pepper, and sea salt to a mortar, and use the pestle to crush them into a coarse paste.

  5. 5

    Add the lemon zest, oregano, paprika, and cumin, and keep crushing and smashing until a relatively smooth paste forms, about another minute.

  6. 6

    Add the lemon juice, wine vinegar, and olive oil, and stir with the pestle until everything is emulsified.

  7. 7

    Transfer the marinade into the bag with the chicken thighs, along with the extra salt (1 teaspoon of salt per pound of meat is a good rule of thumb). Use tongs to mix very thoroughly. Squeeze out the excess air and seal the bag tightly.

  8. 8

    Marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Chicken can be grilled after marinating just 2 or 3 hours, but overnight is much better.

  9. 9

    Prepare a charcoal grill until the coals are hot, white, and ashy. Place the chicken skin side down over the hot charcoal, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over, and cook the meat side for about 5 minutes.

  10. 10

    Turn the chicken back to the skin side, and continue cooking until the skin is nicely browned and lightly charred in spots. If the chicken still needs more time but the skin is getting too dark, flip it back to the meat side and keep grilling until the chicken is done. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

  11. 11

    Remove the chicken to a serving platter, and pour over any accumulated juices. Serve with fresh lemon wedges.