If you ever want to get your mojo back, the fresh flavors of my Grilled Mojo Chicken recipe are just what you need. Before grilling them, our succulent chicken quarters are marinated in a traditional Cuban sauce featuring citrus, cilantro, and garlic. It’s a next-level delicious chicken recipe that we’ll round out with some classic black beans and rice.
Why You’ll Love Grilled Mojo Chicken
When you want to travel to the colorful streets of Cuba without leaving your backyard, Grilled Mojo Chicken is the quickest way to get there. While Cubans most often squeeze sour orange juice into their Mojo chicken recipes, my twist features lime juice, orange juice, and grapefruit juice instead. The killer trio creates a unique and deliciously sour, sweet, and slightly bitter base for the flavorful marinade.
If you’re looking for the best chicken leg recipes, check out all my favorites here: The Best Chicken Leg Recipes.
Ingredients
- Chicken – For this Grilled Mojo Chicken recipe, I went with chicken quarters. However, any kind of chicken will taste amazing with this amazing Cuban sauce: chicken thighs, boneless chicken, or even a whole chicken.
- Mojo Chicken Marinade – For the simple mojo marinade, we’ll combine our fresh orange juice, lime juice, and grapefruit juice with fresh cilantro, tons of garlic, oregano, a garlic herb seasoning, cumin, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Sliced serrano peppers bring the heat.
- Garnish – A simple sprinkling of chopped fresh cilantro is the perfect finish to this chicken dish.
How to Make Cuban Mojo Chicken Recipe
Mojo Chicken Prep
Alright, let’s make this mouthwatering Grilled Mojo Chicken. First up, grab all your mojo marinade ingredients except for the serrano peppers and olive oil. Give the ingredients a quick whirl in the blender for about 4-5 seconds, before slowly drizzling in the olive oil for a nice emulsion effect. Once the mojo sauce is nice and smooth, toss in the sliced serrano peppers. Set aside about ¼ cup of the marinade in a separate medium bowl for later use.
Now, grab your chicken quarters and place them in a large bowl. Pour the marinade over the chicken, coating every piece of raw chicken. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge alongside the reserved marinade. Let everything sit in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight to season chicken with maximum flavor.
Grill Time
About one and half hours before dinner time, preheat your charcoal grill for two-zone indirect cooking at a medium heat of around 300° degrees F. When the grill is at the desired temperature, place chicken on the hot side of the grill for some classic sear marks, about 2 minutes per side.
After searing, move the chicken over to the cooler side of the grill to finish cooking. Let them cook through for about 1-1.5 hours until your meat thermometer hits 170° degrees F in the thickest part of the chicken leg. About 5 minutes before the finish line, take out the reserved marinade to baste the chicken.
Plating the Grilled Mojo Chicken
Once your Mojo chicken is fully cooked, take the quarters off the grill and then let the grilled chicken quarters rest for about 5 minutes.
What to Serve with Grilled Mojo Chicken
Plate up your delicious chicken alongside some white rice, black beans, sliced limes, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. If you want to add more Cuban elements, consider serving some pineapple salsa on the table. Now, all that’s left to do is dig in and enjoy every juicy, flavorful, and festive bite. Cheers!
easy pineapple salsa recipe
To make pineapple salsa, you’ll need 2 cups of fresh pineapple, diced, 1/2 red onion, finely chopped, 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced, 1 red bell pepper, diced, 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, and the juice of 1 lime. Combine all these ingredients in a mixing bowl, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently toss everything together until well combined. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle before serving with your Grilled Mojo Chicken.
Leftovers & Reheating Tips
Leftover chicken? No problem! Store any extra Grilled Mojo Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. To reheat, simply place the chicken inside some aluminum foil on the hot grill until warmed through. Serve alongside more of your favorite sides for a quick and delicious meal.
For even more delicious chicken recipes to make in your own backyard, check out my Smoked Chicken Thighs, Achiote Lime Brick Pressed Chicken, and Roasted Chicken Trompo.
FAQs for Grilled Mojo Chicken
Absolutely! Feel free to use your preferred cut of chicken for this recipe. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly to ensure the chicken is cooked through.
Yes, you can prepare the mojo marinade ahead of time and then store it in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Bitter orange juice, also known as naranja agria in Spanish, can be found in specialty grocery stores, Latin American markets, or international food stores. Some larger supermarkets may also carry it in their ethnic food sections.
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Grilled Mojo Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 5-6 Chicken Quarters
- Chopped Cilantro for garnish
- White Rice for serving
- Black Beans for serving
Mojo Marinade:
- 4 Navel Oranges juiced & 1 orange zested
- 5 medium Limes juiced & 2 limes zested
- 1 Grapefruit juiced
- 3 Serranos thinly sliced
- ¼ cup of Cilantro
- 10-12 Garlic Cloves
- 2 tbsp of Fresh Oregano
- 1.5 tbsp of Garlic Herb Seasoning optional
- 1.5 tbsp of Ground Cumin
- 1.5 tbsp of Olive Oil
- 2 tsp of Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp of Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients for the Mojo Marinade (except serranos & olive oil) to a blender. Blend for only 4-5 seconds in order to begin the mixture, then add the olive oil. Blend until fully immersed, then once done add the sliced serrano peppers. Add ¼ cup of the marinade into a separate bowl to reserve for later before adding to chicken.
- Add your chicken quarters to a food safe bowl and pour the remaining marinade over the top and mix thoroughly. Cover and place in the fridge, along with reserve marinade, to sit for at least 4 hours but ideally overnight.
- Preheat your grill for a two-zone indirect cooking at 300 degrees F.
- Add your chicken to the high heat side of the grill to sear for about 2 minutes per side. Once the chicken has been seared, pull them to the cool side of the grill to finish cooking. Cook for about 1-1.5 hours until they reach 170 degrees F internal. About 5 minutes before the chicken is done, baste them with the reserve marinade. Pull the chicken off once done to rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve the chicken with rice, beans, sliced limes and cilantro. Enjoy!
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