This marinated, baked, Cuban Mojo chicken is so juicy and so tender. It’s the ultimate summer recipe that everyone in your family will love! Every single bite will be a flavor bomb explosion in your mouth. Top it off with a delicious pineapple-avocado salsa, made from super fresh ingredients, that makes it the perfect side for this heavenly dish. Oh and the best part? It’s really easy to make it!
This colorful and tasty Cuban Mojo chicken tastes just as good as it looks. It has the best combination of ingredients, making it one of the most flavorful ways to enjoy baked chicken. Trust me when I say this, you’ll become obsessed with the combination of these flavors. They each balance each other out, creating a harmonious result of a tangy, sweet but also a little sour chicken.
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How to make Cuban Mojo Chicken
Cuban Mojo chicken is really easy to make. You make your marinade by adding all the Mojo Sauce ingredients in the blender. You then divide it into two halves. One half of this Mojo sauce will become your chicken marinade and the other half will be the base for the pineapple-avocado salsa.
Once your chicken has marinated, you simply pop it in the oven with some onions, and let it cook for 35 minutes, until golden brown. Meanwhile add to the remaining Mojo sauce some chopped avocado, pineapple and cherry tomatoes to make the fresh pineapple-avocado salsa. That’s it! Easy peasy!
Cuban Mojo Marinade Recipe
Traditionally, the base of the Cuban Mojo Chicken sauce is a mix of citrus juice, garlic and olive oil. For this recipe, delicious fresh oranges were used, together with a combination of herbs. The outcome is SO GOOD.
If you haven’t tried marinating chicken in Mojo sauce you are missing out. But we’ve got you covered! By marinating the chicken, you ensure that all these delicious flavors and aromas from the orange juice, herbs and spices are infused into the chicken.
Ideally, you want to aim to marinate your chicken for three hours in the refrigerator. The more time you allow the chicken to marinate the more intense and flavorful your chicken will be. You will need a bit of patience and to plan a little ahead, but trust me, it’s SO worth it! If you are running short on time, try to at least get a good 20 minutes.
Fresh Pineapple Avocado Salsa and serving suggestion
This is the ultimate summer salsa, that’s really, really easy to make. You simply use some of the Mojo sauce as the base of the sauce and then add chopped pineapple, avocado and cherry tomatoes. It’s SO refreshing, and SO delicious!
The best way to complete this dish is to add some steamed rice and black beans to the side. They are the perfect addition to this delicious Cuban Mojo Chicken recipe!
Cuban Baked Chicken
Baking the marinaded chicken is the best way of keeping the chicken succulent and keeping those flavors strong. It also means that you are not having to keep an eye on the chicken, just pop it in the oven and come back to it 35 minutes later. It’s the perfect dish to make if you don’t have time to stand at the cooker!
Cuban Mojo Chicken is the perfect easy weeknight meal
You really should try making this full of flavor Cuban Mojo Chicken as soon as possible!! You will love it! It’s the perfect weeknight dinner that will be requested again and again by your family! It’s also great for weekend dinners with friends! It’s easy, it’s refreshing and so full of flavor!
Top tips for making Cuban Mojo Chicken
- Marinate the chicken as long as you can – for at least 3 hours – to get the maximum flavor.
- When ready to cook, place the chicken in a pre-heated oven.
- Use free range / organic chicken.
- Cooked chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165ºf.
Be sure to try these other baked chicken recipes for easy weeknight dinners!
- Marinated Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Recipe
- Garlic and Herb Baked Chicken Wings
- Baked Chicken Fajitas (Healthy Sheet Pan Fajitas Recipe)
- Mexican Chicken Sheet Pan Nachos
If you have tried this Cuban mojo chicken recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below
Cuban Mojo Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken leg quarters
- ½ cup orange juice
- ⅓ lime juice
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 1 lime zest
- ½ tbsp cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black ground pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 onion quartered
- ½ avocado
- 4 ounces pineapple diced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- ½ cup black beans rinsed & drained (optional)
- 1 cup steamed rice optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350F
- Add in the food processor the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, lime zest, cumin, oregano, salt, and back ground pepper
- Process for 10 seconds. You don’t want the sauce to become too creamy
- Add the olive oil and process for 5 seconds, just to combine ever so slightly
- Add the chicken and chopped onion in a large bowl.
- Pour half of the mojo sauce over the chicken and onions. Cover with cling film, and marinate in the fridge for 3 hours
- Set aside the remaining half of the mojo sauce for later use
- After chicken has marinated add chicken and onions on baking tray, together with the sauce it marinated in.
- Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes
- Meanwhile, chop up the pineapple, avocado and cherry tomatoes into small pieces and add them in a small bowl. Mix in the remaining half of Mojo sauce you saved earlier. Your salsa is ready!
- Drizzle pineapple-avocado salsa over baked chicken, add steamed rice and beans to the side and enjoy!
This recipe was contributed by Michaella at Well + Yum.
Mary Goff says
Becky, i would like to make your Cuban Mojo Chicken but i don’t understand some of the instructions It calls for 100g pineapple, 50g cheery tomatoes and bake at 180c I am in Texas and don’t know these measurements. Thank you
Becky Hardin says
Sorry about that! I have contributors and some are overseas. I’ve edited the recipe to help. Thanks!
Yely says
It was very good. However, it took me almost 1 hour to fully cook the chicken.
Becky Hardin says
I’m sorry it took so long! I am glad you did enjoy it though!
Michelle says
Just wondering if that is a 1/3 a cup of lime juice or juice from 1/3 of a lime?
Becky Hardin says
1/3 of a lime!
Mary says
The smell is amazing and I can’t wait to taste it but you’re cooking temp and time are way off. There’s no way that 4 leg quarters will cook in a half hour at that temp. I needed to jack the heat up and am planning to turn the broiler on for a minute or two to get that char in the pics…
Becky Hardin says
Great ideas, Mary! Thank you!
Klr says
Yes, had to do the same. And flavor never came out. Boring!
Klr says
So bland. Took way longer to cook and never looked like the picture. Put the sauce on rice and still so bland. Kids hated. The salsa was good but you literally cannot eat with a chicken quarter without fighting bones and gristle
Becky Hardin says
I’s so sorry this recipe didn’t turn out well for you guys!
Veronica Valandingham says
Do not use this cooking time!!!!!! Says 45 minutes I’m up to 90!!!!!! Ruined all my rice and veggies
Becky Hardin says
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you!
Shideh says
It was okay. It was bland to us. I would added more seasoning. And cooked it on a higher temperature
Becky Hardin says
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe!
Ruth J says
Why so high in carbs? It’s chicken!
Seana Brogan says
This recipe is really good. I poked the chicken with a fork a bunch of times before marinating. Instead of the 35 to 40 minutes I did it for an hour at 350 and then finished it off with 5 minutes in the boiler. I read the recipe wrong and I used 1/3 of a cup of lime juice instead of 1/3 of the lime juiced. But it really worked well. My little girl ate 3 legs. My whole family said to put it on the keep list. Thank you for the fantastic recipe.
Becky Hardin says
Isn’t it nice when things still work out? Thanks for sharing Seana!
Gloria says
Great recipe ….very flavorful and easy to follow. Delicious loved it.
Becky Hardin says
Why thank you, Gloria!