Name: Grilled Mojo Chicken Leg Quarters
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 535 min
Ingredients: 4 chicken leg quarters; 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice; zest of one orange; 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lime juice; zest of one lime; 8 cloves garlic; 1 small shallot; 1/2 cup fresh cilantro; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; extra cilantro, lime and orange wedges or slices for garnish

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Chicken leg quarters marinated in a fresh citrus, garlic and herb Cuban style mojo marinade and grilled to perfection. Juicy, tender and full of mouthwatering flavor, this mojo chicken recipe is easy enough for any night of the week and also perfect for dinner guests. It will quickly become one of your favorite easy chicken recipes.

Two grilled mojo chicken leg quarters on a platter with fresh cilantro, lime and orange pieces with a bowl of rice, bowl of beans and bowl of marinade on the side. — Cuban style Mojo chicken is bursting with garlic and citrus flavors.

If you are looking for the perfect grilled chicken, you must try this Cuban mojo chicken recipe. The marinade is bright, citrusy, garlicky, tangy and takes your grilled chicken to the next level. The punchy citrus flavors are perfect for chicken, pork, steak, seafood, whatever! Serve it with some rice and black beans and you've got yourself one of the tastiest chicken dinners you'll ever try.

If you love Caribbean flavors as much as I do, definitely try my Carrot Ginger Soup and Jamaican Rice and Peas.

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What is Cuban mojo?
Why chicken leg quarters?
Mojo Chicken Ingredients
Method
Mojo Chicken Recipe Tips
What to serve with Mojo Chicken
More Delicious Chicken Recipes you will love
Grilled Mojo Chicken Leg Quarters

Close up of grilled mojo chicken leg quarter on a platter with fresh cilantro, lime and orange next to a bowl of mojo marinade in a white bowl. — Mojo chicken is the perfect summer grilling recipe.

What is Cuban mojo?

Mojo (pronounced "MO-HO") is a multipurpose Cuban marinade that's perfect for grilled meats and seafood. Authentic mojo is traditionally made with sour oranges (naranja agria), fresh garlic cloves, spices and herbs. The authentic recipes vary slightly but that undeniable glorious flavor comes from bitter orange. In some areas across the United States, sour oranges can be harder to find at most grocery stores. So, for this Cuban inspired recipe we will improvise and instead of bitter orange juice, we will make a mix of citrus juice with orange and lime to get as close as possible to that delicious flavor.

Why chicken leg quarters?

I highly recommend using chicken leg quarters for this recipe. Also labeled as "whole chicken legs" the leg quarters consist of both the thigh and the drumstick. It's skin on, bone in and has a good amount of fat and flavor. Leg quarters are one of the most economical cuts of chicken and they are perfect for marinating and grilling.

Recipe ingredients including chicken leg quarters on a white plate, limes, and orange, head of garlic, shallot, bunch of cilantro, bowl of olive oil and small dish with spices. Blue kitchen towel in the background. — Just a few simple ingredients is all you need for this easy chicken recipe.

Mojo Chicken Ingredients

The mojo marinade recipe is very simple. The most important thing is that everything is super fresh!

Chicken leg quarters - this is my favorite cut for grilling chicken. You can also use chicken thighs, drumsticks or cut up a whole chicken to have both light and dark meat. For best results and great flavor, go with a bone in, skin on cut of meat.
Fresh orange juice - and orange zest
Fresh lime juice - and lime zest
Fresh garlic cloves
Fresh cilantro
Shallot - this is not a traditional ingredient in authentic mojo criollo marinade. There are some that use minced white onion.
Cumin
Oregano
Olive oil
Salt and black pepper

Method

Roughly chop the garlic and shallot. Add it to a food processor or blender with the rest of the mojo ingredients and pulse until everything is well combined. You can also do this by hand. In a small bowl whisk together finely minced garlic, cilantro and shallot with the rest of the marinade ingredients.

Pat chicken dry with a paper towel and place in a shallow dish or zip top bag. Pour over about two thirds of the marinade. Make sure the chicken is thoroughly coated and cover or seal the dish or bag. Reserve the rest of the marinade for basting and dipping to add extra flavor.

Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for 6-8 hours.

Mojo marinade ingredients on a wood cutting board. — Use fresh citrus, garlic and cilantro to make marinade.

Mojo marinade blended in a blender cup. — Use fresh citrus, garlic and cilantro to make marinade.

How to grill chicken leg quarters

When you're ready to cook, preheat the grill to medium heat at about 350 degrees. On my gas grill, I like to turn the outside burners on high and leave the middle two on the lowest setting to create two different zones. On a charcoal grill, you can shift the coals to one side to create two zones with direct and indirect heat.

Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade from the raw chicken. Place chicken skin side down over direct heat on the grill grate and sear for two to three minutes. Flip and sear the other side for two to three minutes.

Marinated mojo chicken leg quarter searing skin side down on grill grates. — Sear skin side down on high heat.

Marinated mojo chicken leg quarter searing skin side up on grill grates. — Sear skin side down on high heat.

Place the chicken in the indirect heat zone and close the lid of the grill and cook for 35-45 minutes until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches at least 165 degrees with a meat thermometer. The skin should be golden brown.

Grilled mojo chicken leg quarter being basted with marinade on a grill grates. — Baste with reserved marinade during last five minutes of cooking.

Use the reserved marinade to baste generously baste the leg quarters during the last five minutes of cooking time. What's great about using leg quarters is that they're basically foolproof and nearly impossible to overcook. They are perfectly tender and juicy between 180-190 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the grill, tent with foil and let it rest for ten minutes before serving.

Grilled mojo chicken leg quarters on a platter with fresh cilantro sprigs and pieces of fresh lime and orange. Platter is next to a white bowl of black beans. — Garnish with lime, orange and cilantro for a colorful and fresh presentation.

Mojo Chicken Recipe Tips

The best time to marinate is eight hours. You can get by with four to six but you will not achieve maximum flavor. Anything more than eight hours is overkill. The marinade has tons of citrus in it and left too long, it will change the structure of the muscle fibers and the texture of the meat may become stringy or mushy. Eight hours is perfect.
If you have access to sour or seville oranges, use about a cup of sour orange juice in place of regular fresh orange and lime juice.
Use a bag to marinate the chicken. You can push out all of the air and seal it tightly to ensure that the marinade coats every part of the chicken. I love these reusable gallon size bags for marinating meat.
I love this recipe on the grill but you can definitely bake it in the oven or air fry it .
Use an instant read thermometer to take the guess work out of determining if your chicken is done. Grilled chicken sometimes can look a little pink near the bone but as long as the temperature registers at least 165 degrees, it's done!