Cuban mojo chicken might just be one of my favorite recipes of all time. This simple sheet pan version is perfect for lazy summer days when the mood calls for something super easy to prepare, but still deeply flavorful and satisfying. And it is equally wonderful in the depths of winter when you just need to breathe a little citrus flavored sunshine into your kitchen. The secret to this dish is a boldly flavored mojo marinade, brimming with the bright flavors of fresh citrus and the pungency that you get from a generous amount of garlic and a few earthy spices. While this dish is traditionally made with Seville oranges, which are distinctively sour, they can be rather difficult to source. But luckily, it's easy to mimic their striking flavor by simply incorporating a couple of limes into the juice mix along with your more readily available navel, cara cara, or Valencia oranges.
If you're looking for a good cocktail recipe to pair with your Cuban mojo chicken, I recommend a Hemingway Daiquiri, Tinto de Verano, or Paloma.
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Ingredients for Cuban Mojo Chicken
- chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- vegetable oil
- fresh orange juice
- fresh lime juice
- garlic
- ground cumin
- dried oregano
- ground allspice
- kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- Yukon gold potatoes
- red onion
- fresh cilantro
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions for Cuban Mojo Chicken
Preparing the Ingredients
Begin by preparing the chicken, potatoes, and onion. Cut the chicken into medium chunks. Peel the potatoes and onion, and then chop them into roughly similarly sized chunks.
Slice the citrus horizontally into halves for juicing. (I recommend just using a simple citrus reamer for this task.)
Marinading the Chicken
Juice the lime and orange halves, and then pour those fresh citrus juices over the chicken.
Next add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, allspice, and the grated garlic. Stir the chicken to coat thoroughly with the marinade. Then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Roasting Everything Together
While the chicken is marinading, drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over the chopped potatoes and onion. Then add the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat the vegetables thoroughly.
Heat the oven to 425℉ and spread the potatoes and onions evenly across a large rimmed metal baking sheet. When the chicken is done marinating, add that to the pan as well (marinade and all), nestling the meat among the vegetables.
Then roast for about 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken and potato chunks), or until the chicken is cooked through, the potatoes are fork tender, and everything is well bronzed.
In the meantime, roughly chop the fresh cilantro. (And prepare any desired accompaniments to be served alongside.)
Garnish with a generous scattering of chopped cilantro. (For a more complete meal, I like to serve this with some Cuban black beans and rice alongside.)
Hint: The freshly squeezed citrus juice is the key to this dish. I find that it usually takes about two plump limes and one juicy orange to squeeze enough juice for this recipe. (It is much easier to juice citrus if it's at room temperature rather than refrigerator cold, by the way.) While you could certainly use some high quality bottled orange juice here instead of the fresh if you really need a shortcut, I would argue that the fresh lime juice is non-negotiable!
Equipment
I recommend using a large metal rimmed baking sheet for roasting the chicken, potatoes, and onions. This allows everything to become beautifully bronzed (and slightly caramelized) in its thick coating of mojo marinade. It also makes this recipe a real breeze to prepare.
Storage
Any leftover Cuban mojo chicken will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Pairing
These are a few of my favorite drinks to serve with Cuban mojo chicken:
📖 Recipe
Cuban Mojo Chicken
Equipment
- large rimmed metal baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken breast boneless and skinless, cut into medium chunks
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- ¼ cup orange juice freshly squeezed
- ¼ cup lime juice freshly squeezed
- 6 garlic cloves grated (with a microplane)
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin (divided)
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (divided)
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (divided)
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (divided)
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped into medium chunks
- 1 medium red onion peeled and chopped into large chunks
- few sprigs fresh cilantro roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a medium bowl and pour over the orange and lime juices. Then add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, allspice, and grated garlic. Stir the chicken to coat with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- In the meantime, place the chopped potatoes and onion in another medium bowl. Drizzle over the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Then add the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat the vegetables thoroughly.
- Heat the oven to 400℉ and spread the potatoes and onions evenly across a large rimmed metal baking sheet. When the chicken is done marinating, add that to the pan as well (marinade and all), nestling the meat among the vegetables.
- Roast for about 30 to 40 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken and potato chunks), or until the chicken is cooked through, the potatoes are fork tender, and everything is well bronzed.
- Garnish with a generous scattering of cilantro and serve.
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