Spatchcock Mojo Chicken

Mojo chicken has become a staple in my house! This tangy, flavorful Cuban marinade is a winning combo of citrus, herbs, and of course, garlic!

My first time trying my hand at this Cuban classic came a few years ago at Christmas dinner. Per usual in my house, I was in charge of Christmas dinner. Based on a suggestion from my mother to switch things up, I decided to make the menu latin inspired. Yellow rice, black beans, coquito (who am I kidding, coquito is always in my house around the holidays!). For the protein, we had a beautiful pork butt, I wanted to try something a little different than our usual pernil.

I stumbled upon a recipe for mojo marinade! The blend of orange and lime, tons of fresh or dry herbs, and my moms favorite ingredient, garlic, seemed like a foolproof hit!

I still have dreams about how delicious that pork butt came out, roasted low and slow after a day of marinating. Then I realized, pork isn’t the only protein that deserves a bath in that delicious marinade! Plus, I don’t always have a great large cut of pork on hand, so why not try it with something else. Mojo chicken! And it was then, an instant classic in my house was born.

Mojo Chicken Marinade

Now, you can find a few brands of pre-bottled mojo marinade in just about any grocery store with a latin aisle. Those will do the trick in a pinch, but to be honest, they will never measure up to a homemade marinade.

Every Cuban likely has a staple mojo recipe they use, and all of them vary in some way aside from the essential citrus and garlic. Many use dry herbs, and some may be more heavy handed with the garlic than others.

My interpretation goes heavy on everything! I love using fresh herbs in my marinade, because I love the bright green color it creates. The beautiful golden crust it makes after roasting is hard to beat, too!

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1 Bunch of Cilantro
• Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp of Mint
• 8-10 Cloves of Garlic (it’s worth it!)
• 2/3 cup of Orange Juice- Fresh squeezed is better
• 1/3 cup of Lime Juice
• Lemon and Lime Zest

Blend and Chill

Because I use a large amount of fresh herbs, the best way to go is blending! Using a food processor, blender, or my favorite, the NutriBullet Pro Plus , is an easy and efficient way to combine all of the different flavors. Plus, it is the only way to get that glorious thick coating on the chicken!

Once all of the ingredients are combined, the key is patience! The meat needs at least 4 hours to sit in the marinade, although I must say overnight in the fridge is even better.

I chose to spatchock my chicken before marinading, meaning I removed the backbone with kitchen shears and flattened it out. For me, this allows for quicker and more even cooking, and it is easier for the marinade to coat the whole chicken. Luckily, though, this marinade lends itself to all kinds of applications!

• Pork shoulder or butt
• Fish
• Roasted vegetables
  • Eggplant
  • Zuchinni
  • Yucca
• Shrimp
• Potatoes

Bring Little Havana to your kitchen for dinner with this mojo chicken, rice and beans, and some tostones! No matter what you slather it on, this combination of flavors will not steer you wrong!

Spatchcock Mojo Chicken

This juicy Cuban marinated chicken will be the star of your dinner table!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 4 hours hrs

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 5 hours hrs

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine cuban, Latin

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients

  

• 3-5 lb whole chicken
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 lime
• 1 orange

Mojo Marinade

• 1 cup cilantro packed
• ¾ cup olive oil
• zest of one orange
• ⅔ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• zest of one lime
• ½ cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tbsp mint leaves chopped
• 8-10 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• ½ jalapeno optional

Instructions

 

Marinade

• Add all of the marinade ingredients to a blender or food processor. I love using my Nutribullet Pro to quickly pulse small batch marinades.
• Alternatively, you can finely mince the herbs and garlic, and add them to the remaining marinade ingredients.

Spatchcock Chicken

• Place the whole chicken breast-side down on a cutting board.
• Using kitchen shears, cut along the right side of the of the spine/backbone from the tail to the neck. Repeat on the left side of the bone. Discard or reserve for stock.
• Flip chicken over (cut side down and breast side up). Press down firmly to flatten- you will likely hear it crack.
• Season with salt and pepper and place in a gallon zip-lock bag or large bowl.
• Pour marinade over chicken to completely cover. Marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, up to 24.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F
• Slice onion, lime and orange into large wedges and spread around a large baking sheet or roasting pan.
• Place chicken, breast side up, on top of the onions and citrus so it is not directly touching the pan. Pour over remaining marinade.
• Place chicken in the oven (I use the second highest rack), for 15 minutes.
• Reduce the temperature to 400° and continue cooking for 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°
• Remove from oven and let chicken rest for at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve with steamed rice, black beans, and tostones.

Keyword cuban, cuban chicken, cuban marinade, mojo, mojo chicken, oven, spatchcock chicken, whole chicken

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