This marinated and baked Cuban Mojo Chicken is so juicy and so tender! It’s topped off with a homemade pineapple avocado salsa that features all fresh ingredients that I love. This is one of my favorite summery entrees for both parties and weeknight dinners.
Traditionally, the base of the mojo sauce is a mix of citrus juice, garlic and olive oil. For this recipe, I used delicious fresh oranges, together with a combination of herbs, and the outcome is so good!
What’s in This Mojo Chicken Recipe?
- Chicken Legs: I like to use free-range organic chicken for the very best results.
- Orange Juice: Freshly squeezed orange juice will create the very best flavor!
- Lime Juice: Don’t use bottled lime juice – the flavor will taste artificial. Freshly squeezed is the way to go!
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is what you need, not pre-minced.
- Seasonings: A medley of cumin, dried oregano, salt, and ground black pepper create the best flavor.
- Olive Oil: You can swap this for avocado oil if preferred.
- Onion: A white onion is preferred but a yellow onion can also be used.
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
How to Store and Reheat
Once cooled to room temperature, leftover mojo chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating either in the microwave, oven, or air fryer until warmed through.
Tips and Notes
- Marinate the mojo chicken as long as you can (ideally, for at least 3 hours) to get the maximum flavor.
- Use a meat thermometer and insert it into the thickest part of the meat. Cooked chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.
Cuban Mojo Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in chicken leg quarters
- ½ cup orange juice (from 2 oranges)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (from ½ lime)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 teaspoons lime zest (from 1 lime)
- ½ tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 onion quartered
Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
- ½ avocado
- 4 ounces pineapple diced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
Instructions
Mojo Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add to the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, lime zest, cumin, oregano, salt, and black ground pepper to a food processor.½ cup orange juice, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup fresh cilantro, 2 teaspoons lime zest, ½ tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black 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 slightly.½ cup olive oil
- Add the chicken and chopped onion to a large bowl.4 bone-in chicken leg quarters, 1 onion
- 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.
- When the chicken is done marinating, add chicken and onions to the baking tray, together with the sauce it marinated in.
- Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through to 165°F internally.
Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
- 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!½ avocado, 4 ounces pineapple, ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- Drizzle pineapple-avocado salsa over baked mojo chicken, serve with steamed rice and beans, and enjoy!
Notes
How To Make Cuban Mojo Chicken Step By Step
Prep the Sauce: Preheat oven to 350°F. Add ½ cup of orange juice, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, 3 garlic cloves, ¼ cup of fresh cilantro, 2 teaspoons of lime zest,½ tablespoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper to a food processor.
Blend the Sauce: Process for 10 seconds. You don’t want the sauce to become too creamy. Add ½ cup of olive oil and process for 5 seconds, just to combine slightly.
Marinate the Chicken: Add 3 bone-in chicken leg quarters and 1 chopped onion to 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.
Arrange the Chicken: When the chicken is done marinating, add the chicken and onions to the baking tray, together with the sauce it was marinated in.
Bake the Chicken: Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, or until cooked through to 165°F internally. Serve with the remaining mojo sauce drizzled over top, or use it to make pineapple avocado salsa!
More Chicken Leg Recipes we Love
Note: This recipe is one of those few exceptions on our site that has more than 10 ingredients. We try to keep things VERY easy around here, and limiting ingredients and time spent is one of our favorite ways. That being said, this recipe is too delicious to leave out of our recipe box! It’s an exception that is so flavorful and worth the extra ingredients if you have the time and resources to make it.
Like to add I used skinless boneless chicken thighs. Delicious marinade.
Yum!!
I followed this recipe to the T and even marinated the chicken 6 hours. I didn’t find it to have much flavor. Not sure why.
I am sorry this didn’t work out for you, Dee!
Meh. At least it made everything else on my plate taste amazing.
I followed the recipe to a T and it did not turn out very flavorful or have the color that the picture showed. Also to get the chicken to a safe temp I had to bake 50 mins and that was just barely 165.
I am sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you, Alex.
I used sour orange instead of orange juice, used a little more salt and cooked chicken longer and it came out good
Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Cuban mojo is a great way to prepare chicken and pork (haven’t tried beef yet). Like a previous poster, I would emphasize the use of more salt and seasonings as well as a longer marination time (for chicken at least 3, and better yet 6 hrs), as despite all the garlic the meat can end up surprisingly bland. Agree that 35 minutes is not long enough to cook the chicken all the way through and that baked it will look nothing like the pictures. I hit mine with the broiler once the internal temp reached 165° until the skin crisped up! Next time I will use my pellet smoker which should add another dimension to the flavor and brown the chicken more like what is represented in this recipe.
Definitely modify the recipe to your tasting! Thanks for stopping by!
This is a great recipe. Flavor is amazing. Loved the salsa. I made 2 changes: used chicken thighs, separated marinade b4 adding oil, then just added 1/4 c oil to marinade – no oil in salsa. Raving reviews from family. This is a keeper. Extra salsa (there’s a lot) used eaten with chips. Sharing this recipe with extended family.
Thanks for sharing, Carol!
Very tasty and flavorful dish that was a hit! I used chicken tenders and marinated for 45 minutes. I baked on pizza sheet on parchment paper at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then broiled for 10 minutes. Was perfect! I only used 1/4 marinade on salsa. I put 1 T of marinade in black beans. FYI, I used one tangelo (about 1/2 cup of juice) + zest, four limes + zest of 2, and fresh pineapple that I cubed. This is added to my recipe book!
Oh, I forgot to say I used NO oil or butter in the marinade and none while cooking.
Thanks for sharing, Joseph!
I made this chicken dish last night and it came out perfect! I skipped the cilantro and used boneless chicken thighs instead of leg quarters. Cooked at 400 to crisp up the chicken. Served it with black beans, yellow rice, and pan friend plantains. An easy and delicious Cuban dinner.
Sounds delicious, Michelle! Thanks for sharing!!
I made this and it was a disaster. I even followed instructions from other reviewers, a little sear first in an iron skillet. But I still ended up with a tasteless chicken dish that was under cooked. And… I marinated for more than 24 hours. Leave this own alone
I’m sorry this recipe didn’t quite work out for you!
Bruh. That’s definitely a you issue. Practice making the basics first and you’ll improve!
I agree! Mine would have been terrible if I hadn’t your reviews and suggestions first and just made this recipe as is. This recipe has a lot of flaws!