Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs

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These Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs might be my favorite thing to come out of my kitchen this month. I am straight up obsessed and don’t be shocked if the Mojo marinade starts showing up on other recipes in the near future.

Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

A traditional Mojo sauce can include any number of seasonings and aromatics, but it’s largely based on Orange Juice! Today we’re spicing it up with tons of garlic, some shallot, cumin, oregano, and some salt and pepper. The result is a perfectly balanced marinade that infuses flavor into the chicken thighs and also gets reduced as a drizzling sauce.

Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Rather than juice your own citrus (who has time for that as we near the end of summer and need to soak up every possible moment outside) we’re using Florida’s Natural®, my fav No-Pulp Orange Juice on the market!! Florida’s Natural is committed to supporting Florida farmers and you know that supporting the people that bring our food to market is always A HUGE priority for me! And besides that, it’s an all-around delicious ingredient to use in all of your summer recipes.

Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

The orange juice is the perfect base to this recipe and if you happen to have any leftovers, you know there’s a plentiful selection of WGC recipes you can use to use up the rest of the carton!

Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

Cuban Mojo Chicken

Author: Gaby Dalkin
4.8 from 11 votes
The secret to grilled Mojo Chicken Thighs is the perfectly balanced Orange Juice marinade that not only infuses flavor into the chicken, but also gets reduced as a drizzling sauce.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Marinating Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Course Main Course, Dinner
Cuisine Cuban
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

Mojo Marinade

  • 6 cloves garlic peeled
  • 1 medium shallot roughly chopped
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 lime zested (approx. 2 teaspoons grated lime zest)
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup Florida’s Natural® No-Pulp Orange Juice
  • â…“ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
  • â…“ cup extra virgin olive oil

Chicken

  • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions
 

  • In a high-powered blender, combine all the marinade ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour â…“ cup of marinade into a small bowl and reserve it for the dipping sauce.
  • Toss the chicken with the remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and add the remaining marinade. Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour and up to a day.
  • Prepare a grill for medium high heat, and lightly oil the grill grates.  Place the chicken on the grates. Let the chicken char for 30-60 seconds and then immediately decrease the heat to medium low. Grill the chicken for approximately 10-15 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F for thighs and 150°F to 155°F for breasts), turning every 5-7 minutes.
  • Transfer the reserved sauce to a non-stick skillet and reduce over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes until thickened. Drizzle over the grilled chicken and serve.

Notes

If you have extra time, you can squeeze your own orange juice.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 403kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 215mg | Sodium: 1755mg | Potassium: 666mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 121IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 3mg
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14 Comments

  1. Love your recipes! Do you think this could work in the oven (our grill is being repaired). Or would the oven be a bad idea with this kind of marinade? If you think it would work, any guesses on oven temp/time? Thanks!

    1. would totally work! I'd use a meat thermometer to determine when it's done as I havent tested in the oven and cant say for sure

    2. 5 stars
      I made this using the broiler in my oven and it came out AMAZING - will definitely do it on the grill once it's warmer 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    I was marinating this recipe in the fridge overnight when hubby invited steak loving friends for dinner. Served the grilled mojo chicken alongside the grilled tenderloins. Cooked marinate down and drizzled it over chicken. Guests loved the chicken just as much as the beef! Will be making it again for sure!

  3. 5 stars
    WOW this was good. Served with rice, avocado and a quick slaw made with some of the sauce. Cannot wait to make this again.

  4. 5 stars
    So delicious. The sauce is everything!! And we made it with beans and rice like you suggested. Can’t wait to make this again!

  5. These chicken thighs are so delicious. I really like chicken thighs over breasts. I love how you do many recipes with chicken thighs. Thanks Gaby! So good!!

    Also the hair spray and Narrs coverup from your Amazon Favorites. Really like both of those items.

  6. 5 stars
    The marinade was easy to make and the end result was extremely flavorful. If you make it in a skillet make sure to scrape up the browned parts - they were amazing!

  7. 5 stars
    I made this last evening, and everyone of all ages loved it! It's so delicious and I'm eager to try the marinade with other meats....I think it would be delicious with steak and salmon!

  8. This sounds delicious. What kind of side dish do you recommend pairing this with ?? Can’t wait to try it!

    1. We had oven roasted sweet potato slices, salad and corn on the cob! It was a great meal!

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