Cuban Mojo Chicken Thighs (Printer-Friendly)
Chicken thighs marinated in Cuban mojo with garlic, citrus, and herbs, roasted golden and juicy.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
→ Mojo Marinade
02 - 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
03 - 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
04 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1/4 cup olive oil
06 - 2 teaspoons dried oregano
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
08 - 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
09 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
10 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
→ Garnish
12 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
13 - Lime wedges
# How to Make It:
01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, minced garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, ground cumin, kosher salt, black pepper, chopped cilantro, and mint until well combined.
02 - Place the chicken thighs in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow dish. Pour the mojo marinade over the chicken, ensuring each piece is thoroughly coated. Seal and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight for deeper flavor penetration.
03 - Preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove the chicken from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off, and arrange the thighs skin-side up on a baking sheet. Discard the remaining used marinade.
04 - Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until the skin is deeply golden and crisp and the internal temperature registers 165°F when checked at the thickest part of the thigh.
05 - Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve alongside lime wedges.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The mojo marinade does all the heavy lifting, so you get restaurant level flavor with almost zero technique required.
- Those crispy golden skins over impossibly juicy meat will make anyone think you spent all day in the kitchen.
- It is genuinely gluten free without any compromises or weird substitutions, which means everyone at the table can dig in happily.
02 -
- If you overcrowd the baking sheet the chicken will steam instead of roast and you will lose that gorgeous crispy skin entirely.
- Do not reuse the leftover marinade as a sauce because it has had raw chicken sitting in it, so always make a fresh batch if you want extra for drizzling.
03 -
- For skin that shatters like glass, flip on the broiler for two to three minutes at the very end and watch it like a hawk because the line between perfect and burnt is thin.
- Zesting the orange and lime before juicing them and stirring that zest into the marinade doubles down on the citrus punch in a way that will make people wonder what your secret is.