This Cuban Mojo Chicken is infused with a flavorful Mojo marinade made with citrus, garlic and spices, then oven roasted until golden brown, juicy and tender! This mouthwatering Mojo Chicken is perfect for dinner any day of the week and also fabulous for company!
You need to check out this amazing dinner recipe! The flavors of Cuban Mojo are bright and delicious in this Cuban Mojo Pork made in the crockpot!
I absolutely love the mouthwatering flavors of perfectly roasted, juicy and tender Mojo Chicken. This easy to make Cuban chicken delivers lots of flavor and it is always gets rave reviews.
Just like my succulent Mojo Pork, we love serving this tasty Mojo Chicken with rice, beans and fried plantains. If you have any leftovers, you can make the absolute best Cuban sandwiches!
What is Mojo?
Cuban Mojo Sauce (aka Cuban marinade) is made from sour oranges, garlic, oregano, cumin, cilantro and olive oil. It is incredibly simple to make and very flavorful. It can be used as a marinade and also served as a sauce – I love double duty recipes! Pour it over fried plantains (tostones) or fries for a super flavorful treat.
Sour oranges are very hard to find in the states so I try to replicate their flavor by mixing fresh orange juice with fresh lime juice. Fresh citrus is a must for a good Cuban Mojo.
How To Make Cuban Mojo Chicken
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together. I like to use melted butter instead of olive oil for this recipe because I think butter imparts amazing flavor to the chicken. You can use olive oil, if you prefer.
- Marinating the chicken is key for bold flavors. I try to marinate a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. The longer the better!
- Place the chicken in a roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Roast the chicken at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the chicken juices run clear and the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. Timing will depend on the size of your chicken.
- After removing from the oven, tent the Cuban style roasted chicken with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Roasted Chicken Internal Temperature
- The safe internal temperature for a roasted chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit – you should check by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If you don’t have one handy, you can calculate 15 minutes of cooking time per pound of chicken but, nothing is safer than properly checking with an instant-read thermometer.
Mojo Chicken Recipe Tips
- The longer you marinate the chicken, the more flavorful your roasted chicken will be. 4 hours is good, 6 hours is great, 8 hours is best.
- I have received many questions regarding store bought Mojo seasoning like Badia Mojo marinade and Goya Mojo Criollo. Unfortunately, I have not tried Badia or Goya marinades. Making homemade Mojo marinade is quite simple and the fresh ingredients really makes this Cuban recipe taste very authentic.
- This Mojo criollo marinade can be used to marinate lamb, pork, turkey, chicken breasts, chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken wings and veggies like Portobello mushrooms..
- Cuban Baked Chicken is amazing but if you prefer, you can grill the chicken instead of baking it.
- I love frugality but not as much as I love “easy clean ups” – I always splurge by buying jumbo size zip top bags. They are perfect for marinating whole chickens and big pieces of meat.
If you love Cuban food, check out these tasty Cuban recipes:
- Cuban Ropa Vieja
- Picadillo Recipe
- Cuban Flan
- Guava Cream Cheese Cuban Pastries (Pastelitos de Guayaba)
Serve this delicious Cuban chicken with some of our favorite side dishes:
More Favorite Recipes from Lemon Blossoms
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Cuban Mojo Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Cuban Mojo Marinade
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1/4 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted OR 1/4 cup olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (lightly packed)
- Orange and lime slices for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Remove the chicken giblets. They can be discarded or saved for other preparations like stocks or gravies. Rinse the chicken inside and out and remove any excess fat. Pat dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper (the marinade has salt and pepper as well but a whole chicken needs quite a bit of seasoning).
- In a small bowl, mix all the Cuban Mojo marinade ingredients. Pour the marinade all over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange a rack in the lower third part of the oven.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a large roasting pan. Discard the marinade. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
- Bake the chicken for 1 hour. If the breast is getting too golden, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the breast. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with lemon, lime and/or orange slices (optional).
Chef’s Tips
- Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the chicken.
- If you use butter for the marinade instead of olive oil, the butter will solidify a little bit while marinating in the refrigerator. This is OK – I don’t stress over it!
- I buy jumbo zip top bags to marinate whole chickens and big cuts of meat. This makes cleaning up a lot easier. Just throw away the bag!
Lori Stuart says
Just curious, doe the butter have to be salted or unsalted?? Just starting to use butter in recipes & not sure what to cook in which type of butter.
Thanks
Kathy says
Hi Lori, for cooking I use unsalted butter unless otherwise noted. However, for this recipe it won’t make much of a difference as a whole chicken requires quite a bit of salt. Use what you have handy.
Claire Marie says
Excellent recipe. The chicken was moist and very tasty. My kids went for seconds. That is always a good sign because they are very picky eaters. This is going in my meal rotation.
Kathy says
Thank you for your feedback! Definitely a kid friendly meal!
Ciara says
Hi, would this recipe work for cut-up chicken pieces as well?
Kathy says
Absolutely! You will have to adjust the cooking time as cut up chicken usually cooks a bit faster.
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
I live in South Florida and with a huge Cuban and Latin America population so mojo is a “thing” here. Your mojo chicken looks amazing – so beautifully browned. It’s making me hungry right now and it’s 9 a.m. I’ll bet the butter makes it beyond rich, but tell me, doesn’t it solidify in the fridge while it’s marinating?
Kathy says
Hi Lisa, Yes the butter solidifies a bit but is such a small amount of butter that it doesn’t make a huge impact. You still get the flavor and the buttery quality inside and out which improves flavor and the nice golden color of the skin.
Dana says
This marinade sounds lip-smackingly delicious! I think it would work swimmingly with salmon and I’m going to have to give it a shot! I love running into recipes like this that are meant for chicken, but are adaptable to pescetarians. (But hey, I remember he taste of chicken, and I can tell this one is the bomb diggity!)
Kathy says
Hahahaha yes it is perfect on fish too!! I actually love pouring the marinade over fried plantains (tostones) and potatoes.
Carmy says
Oh my goodness! I’ve never had mojo chicken before! I love roasting a whole chicken since it means I can use the bones for broth. I’m practically drooling from the photos. I’ll have to try this the next time I roast a whole chicken!
Kathy says
Thank you! This Cuban Mojo chicken is really flavorful! Yay for bone broth!!
Sarah says
I’ve never roasted a whole chicken before, but this sounds pretty easy! And thanks for the sour orange substitute- I’ve actually looked for sour oranges here before, but I can’t find them! Lime juice is a great idea!
Kathy says
Hi Sarah, mixing fresh lime juice with fresh orange juice is the closest thing to sour oranges! Enjoy!!
Kathy Waldn says
Do you have a ratio for the orange juice to lime?
Kathy says
Hi Kathy,
I use 1/2 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice and 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice. The ratio is 2 to 1.
Tina says
Your Mojo Chicken looks so easy and freshly flavorful. I do use an instant read thermometer, not only for safety but to prevent me from over-cooking meat which makes it dry and tough so I’m on board. Before this I have never heard of Cuban Mojo so this is really exciting. Thanks for sharing this!
Kathy says
Thank you! An instant read thermometer is a must in every kitchen!
Megan Marlowe says
I absolutely love Cuban flavors! This marinade would be delicious on steak and fish too! It’s bright and full of flavor and I can’t wait to use it and make some delicious chicken breasts, on the grill, with black beans and fried plantains. I’m starving just thinking about it!
Kathy says
You got all the right ideas Megan! Thank you
Jennifer says
Next time I have dinner guests this is what I’m making! I’ve never had this, but those herbs and seasonings mixed with the citrus sounds absolutely mouth watering. I can’t wait to try it.
Kathy says
Thank you! It truly is so flavorful and tasty!
Gloria says
Ok…first we LOVE chicken…and this looks delicious. Our neighbour is from Cuba….and we often have some wonderful dishes that she makes. With grilling season (I hope) just around the corner, I would love to experiment with this on the grill. I would be a crowd pleaser for sure.
Kathy says
It would be wonderful on the grill!
michele says
Mojo is one of my favorite ways to boost the flavor of pork! I love the idea of trying it on chicken too! And I love the tip of using over the top of my potatoes! Brilliant!
Kathy says
Thank you!