Citrusy Cuban Mojo Chicken Recipe

In American slang, "mojo" can refer to a kind of magic, but the Spanish meaning of the word is "sauce". If you put the two together, you get Cuban-style mojo, a condiment that's sure to enchant you with its flavor. Here, recipe developer Julianne De Witt uses it to sauce pan-fried chicken, noting that this cooking method ensures the chicken is well and truly coated. But, she says that you can bake or grill the meat, if you prefer. "The marinade is so delicious," says De Witt, "that I suggest reserving some and using it as a dipping sauce." If you don't want to waste a drop of the marinade, you can re-use all of it by bringing it to a boil. The USDA assures us that this step will kill off any bacteria from the raw meat.

Black beans would be a great side to serve with this mojo chicken — you can even take the canned kind and turn them into refritos. Rice would go well with the chicken, too. For the perfect beverage pairing, try a Cuban cocktail like the mojito, but don't make the mistake of over-muddling the mint. If you have leftover mojo chicken, count yourself lucky. According to De Witt, it's even better the next day after the flavors have a chance to develop. It should last for up to four days in the fridge.

To make the mojo sauce, you'll need olive oil, an orange (both the juice and zest) a lime (ditto), garlic, a shallot, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. The only other thing you'll need is the chicken — De Witt opts for boneless, skinless thighs, but breasts would be fine if you prefer these. If you grill or bake the chicken, you can use the bone-in kind, as well.

To prepare the marinade, place the olive oil, juices, garlic, shallots, zest, and spices into a blender.

Blend the marinade on high for 1 minute, until smooth.

Reserve ⅓ cup of the marinade and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken, moving the pieces around to fully coat them. Cover the chicken and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.

Place a large frying pan over high heat. Spray the pan with cooking spray.

Place the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side down, and cook for 5 minutes, or until nicely browned.

Turn the heat down to medium-high, flip the thighs, and continue to cook for 4 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 F.

Turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pan, and allow the thighs to rest for 5 minutes.

Garnish with orange slices, lime slices, and cilantro, if desired, and serve with the reserved marinade as a dipping sauce.

Perfect mojo chicken starts with a great marinade, and the meat needs enough time for the flavor to soak in. Two or more hours is best, but don't go over 24 — more than a day in this acidic liquid may turn the meat mushy.

When you're browning the chicken, you should start with a preheated pan. If the pan is nice and hot before you put the meat in, it will brown evenly and the cooking liquid will caramelize without scorching. Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 F as determined by your handy meat thermometer, turn off the heat, but leave it in the pan for a few minutes. The residual heat won't dry it out since it's still soaking in sauce, but the liquid will be able to thicken up a bit. Before you take the chicken out of the pan and put it on the plate, swish it around in the sauce one more time to ensure that it soaks up as much as possible.

The version of mojo sauce used in this chicken recipe is more properly called mojo criollo, and it is widely known in the U.S., particularly in the southern states. Mojo sauce originally came from the Canary Islands, though, and there, the condiment is more likely to taste of chile peppers and vinegar than garlic and citrus.

Canary Islands mojo sauce comes in two varieties. Mojo verde, or green mojo sauce, is made with cilantro, lime juice, white vinegar, garlic, and green chiles native to the Canary Islands (jalapeños make an acceptable substitute in their absence). It's somewhat similar to chimichurri and is often served alongside papas arrugadas, or "wrinkly potatoes." These potatoes, which get their signature wrinkles from being boiled in heavily salted water, can also be accompanied by mojo picón, which is made from dried red peppers, olive oil, vinegar, and garlic. Unlike mojo verde, mojo picón tends to be a very thick, romesco-like sauce thanks to the inclusion of bread crumbs. Either sauce could be used to make mojo chicken; they'd taste just as good with poultry as they do with potatoes.