This Cuban grilled mojo chicken is an easy to make and flavorful chicken dish. The marinade is made with oranges, limes, and cilantro and is ready in minutes making this a perfect dish for the whole family.
There is something very satisfying about a chicken recipe that takes about 5 minutes of prep and then cooks in a little over 10 minutes. Mojo chicken is so easy to make, and the marinade is incredibly flavorful. Made with oranges and limes with cilantro and mint it is a great way to pack a lot of flavors into the chicken thighs. It is a healthy dish that is perfect for those that love to grill, and it is great for mal prep.
Table of Contents
In this recipe
In this recipe
While there are only two parts to this recipe, the marinade does have quite a few ingredients. However, they are easy to get a hold and are relatively inexpensive making this a great budget meal.
Chicken: while this recipe calls for chicken thighs with the bone in, you can use any part of the chicken for this recipe.
Oranges: the juice from the oranges is going to make the base of the marinade adding sweetness to it.
Limes: this will add a nice acidic bite and pairs well with the mint and cilantro enhancing their flavors.
How long should I marinate mojo chicken?
I would advise that you marinate at least 3 hours, however you can go up to 24 hours. Since this marinade isn’t as acidic you won’t have to worry about the chicken breaking down in the marinade. It is the perfect marinade to make before you start work and then when it is time for dinner you are good to go. This makes a perfect weeknight meal since once the chicken is done marinating it will be done in less than 15 minutes. While I use thighs in this recipe you can use any part of the chicken you want. However, with larger pieces like the breast you will want to marinate longer.
Grilling the chicken
One of the things you want to make sure of is getting your chicken to the proper internal temperature. The easiest way to do this is to either add a meat probe into the largest parts of the thighs. If you don’t have probes that can go into the grill with the lid closed, then you might want to check with a meat thermometer every 5 minutes. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F or 74°C to make sure that the chicken is fully cooked. You can serve on a bed of rice or toss some pasta with the reserved (not combined with the chicken) marinade for quick and easy to make dish.
Can I use the mojo marinade on anything else?
You most certainly can. It is great on shrimp, halibut, trout and the like, chicken, pork and even beef. With food like shrimp and first and even some cuts of steak you will not need to marinate nearly as long. Shrimp and fish will only need about an hour at most while skirt or flank steak are good in 2-3 hours. One of my favorite proteins, especially on budget, is grilled mojo London broil. You can also treat the marinade like a sauce and use it to finish the meat instead of using it as a marinade. If you use it as a marinade you will either need to cook the marinade or make a new back to avoid food borne illness.
Looking for other grilling recipes?
Easy Grilled Mojo Chicken
Equipment
- Grill
- Large plastic container with lid
- Tongs
- Food processor
- Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 5 pounds chicken thighs bone in
Marinade
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons mint
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ½ tablespoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a food processor add all of the marinade ingredients and pulse until blended. It will not be completely smooth and that is good. Remove ½ cup of the marinade and set aside.¾ cup orange juice, ½ cup cilantro, ⅓ cup lime juice, ⅓ cup olive oil, 3 tablespoons mint, 2 tablespoons orange zest, 2 tablespoons lime zest, 1 tablespoon garlic, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 tablespoon oregano, ½ tablespoon pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
- Place the chicken in a plastic or glass container and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Cover with lid or cling film and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.5 pounds chicken thighs
- Preheat the grill to 500°F or 260°C.
- Using the tongs gently shake the majority of marinade off and place the skin side down on the grill cover and cook for 5-6 minutes. Flip over, cover and cook for another 5-6 minutes then check the temperature. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Serve with the reserved ½ cup of marinade.
Notes
- In order to use the marinade that the chicken was in as a sauce you will need to at least 165°F (74°C). Heating the marinade will change the flavor profile.
- You can double the marinade and reserve half of it to serve afterwards.
Nutrition
We let it marinade over night and this was some of the best grilled chicken we have had in a long time.