Cuban Mojo Marinade
Cuban mojo marinade for chicken is one of our favorite easy grill recipes in summer. This easy marinade recipe blends fresh herbs with fresh citrus for a flavorful and easy way to grill chicken or pork.
Looking for a fresh new marinade for chicken or pork? This Cuban mojo marinade is loaded with herbs and fresh citrus and is the perfect choice if you plan to grill your chicken.
While I made this chicken marinade on a busy weeknight with just a simple side of couscous and a heaping mountain of fresh watermelon, a chicken Cuban sandwich with fresh crusty bread would be amazing with this marinade!
What is Cuban Mojo Marinade?
A mojo marinade is a blend of juicy citrus fruits mixed with fresh herbs (usually cilantro and mint) and seasonings including garlic, cumin, and oregano.
Despite all the fruit, the final dish doesn't taste sweet and fruity, but more savory and bright.
If your kids love tacos, this would be an excellent chicken marinade to add into your mix.
The final flavor pairs really well with traditional taco toppings like sour cream, cilantro, and chopped tomatoes.
Ingredients
The focus of this recipe is on fresh ingredients, there are a few key things you'll need to grab at the store:
- Olive Oil
- Orange Juice: You can fresh squeeze real oranges if you prefer, but for a busy night I just grab a bottle of orange juice.
- Limes
- Fresh Cilantro
- Fresh Mint
- Minced Garlic
- Oregano
- Cumin
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make the Marinade
Add the orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, mint, and minced garlic to the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse it together until minced.
Scrape all the fresh herbs and juices into a mixing bowl.
Add the olive oil, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper. Stir everything together or shake it up in a mason jar if you don't plan to use it right away.
As my daughter and I were adding the ingredients to our food processor, she noticed that many of them cross over with taco seasonings (cumin and garlic) and the fresh salsa we made last week (cilantro and lime juice).
She was surprised to see us pouring orange juice into the mix and grabbing the fresh mint from our herb garden.
That is seriously one of the best parts about cooking with your kids--they start to pick up on this kind of thing and it makes them curious to taste the new recipes!
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How to Use the Marinade
Simply pour the marinade over raw chicken or pork tenderloins and turn the meat to coat.
Let chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Drain the excess marinade off the meat before you cook it. We love to grill our Cuban mojo chicken or pork so it gets delicious charred edges.
However, with all the sugar from the fruit juices be very careful not to overcook the meat. The sweet marinade burns quickly.
Here are some of my favorite ways to cook pork and chicken:
Serving Suggestions
The Cuban mojo marinade is great on grilled chicken or with pork. You can use the marinated meat in any of these dishes:
- Eat your marinated pork or chicken on its own with our favorite Mexican rice side dish and a chunky corn salsa.
- Use the pork or chicken to make a Cuban sandwich and serve it with salty potato or plantain chips or save the leftovers to make my easy Cuban sliders.
- Shred the meat and make Cuban quesadillas.
- Or make a Cuban sandwich inspired salad with this recipe.
I hope you enjoy this for your grilling season rotation!
And if you really love Cuban food, don't miss this delicious ropa vieja recipe.
📖 Recipe
Cuban Mojo Marinade
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice hand squeezed from fresh oranges OR substitute your favorite brand prepared orange juice
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro about 1 handful
- 4 - 6 mint leaves
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a food processor add the orange juice, lime juice, cilantro, mint, and minced garlic. Pulse until everything is chopped finely but not fully pureed. If you don't have a processor, you can chop everything by hand.
- Combine the juice and herb blend with the olive oil, oregano, cumin, and salt and pepper. We just shook it up in a mason jar.
- Use to marinate the chicken overnight or for at least several hours. Cook as desired, but watch for burning because of the fruit juices.
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You could just as easily make the marinade in blender. Simply Orange isn't fresh orange juice by the way; it's a concentrate and processed. I prefer to use actual oranges and add the zest of one orange to the marinade. I kick it up with 1/4 tsp hot chili flakes. You could also use one hot red chili sliced.
You could just as easily make the marinade in blender. Simply Orange isn't fresh orange juice by the way; it's a concentrate and processed. I prefer to use actual oranges and add the zest of one orange to the marinade. I kick it up with 1/4 tsp hot chili flakes. You could also use one hot red chili sliced.
I agree with you 100%. Simply Orange is not fresh orange juice. The addition of orange zest is a great +, as is the incorporation of chili flakes.
Thanks for your input, I was afraid I was the only one who didn’t see the difference between the recipe ingredients and use of Simply Orange!
Yum!! I think I'm really going to enjoy your marinade experiments this summer! 🙂