Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken

Just the aroma of the ingredients is enough to make your mouth water. Wait till you taste this Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken! All the bold, zesty flavors of summer come together and get trapped within the crispy skin. Plus this chicken stays juicy till the last bite!

A friend once told me the thing they missed most about moving away from Miami was the Cuban food, it had amazing flavors and I have to agree because we’ll definitely be looking for more Cuban recipes after having this Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken.

A traditional Cuban marinade would use sour oranges, which are not easy to find unless you live near a Global style market and then I think they’re more of a seasonal item. We’re able to find them very rarely, so I can say once you’ve had this recipe you tend to crave it as soon as the weather starts warming up.

If your not able to find sour oranges, you can substitute them by using limes to get pretty much the same effect in the marinade. This recipe is all about the marinade, don’t leave out the zest either, if you don’t have a zester, but you have a box grater, the smallest side works for just fine for zesting.

We saw Jeff Mauro from a Foodnetwork show “The Kitchen” use this method for searing the skin on a spatchcock chicken and wanted to try it on the grill. It worked beautifully plus there’s a bonus, you don’t get all the flare ups with the flames, but you get all the flavor of grilling.

You get your cast iron skillet screaming hot (make sure it’s oiled up good on the inside), but he did it in the oven so either way will work great.

A friend once told me the thing they missed most about moving away from Miami was the Cuban food, it had amazing flavors and I have to agree because we’ll definitely be looking for more Cuban recipes to try.

Although I did make a little Cuban Avocado Citrus Salad with a Honey Lemon Dressing to go with this Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken and it was really good and healthy too.

What can you serve with this Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken?

• We made up this Cuban Avocado Citrus Salad with a Honey Lemon Dressing to go along with our chicken.
• Seasoned rice (or even riced cauliflower) would be the perfect side.
• Want to keep the Cuban flavors going? Whip up a batch of mojitos…now it’s a party!

Some tips:

• Make sure to dry the chicken’s skin by patting it with a paper towel. A drier skin will give you a crispier skin.
• Fresh squeezed juice will always give you better results than anything from a bottle. Although the bottle always works when you want to save a bit of time.

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Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Inactive Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours

Just the aroma of the ingredients is enough to make your mouth water. Wait till you taste this Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Chicken! All the bold, zesty flavors of summer come together and get trapped within the crispy skin. Plus this chicken stays juicy till the last bite!

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Ingredients

• 1 roasting chicken (about 5lbs)
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Cuban Mojo Marinade

• Zest of 1 orange
• Zest of 2 limes
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, (minced)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (we used Mexican oregano)
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 Tablespoon Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (reserve a bit for garnishing)
• Orange slices for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Prep chicken and marinade

1. Place the chicken on a cutting board breast-side-down. Working from the cavity opening up to the neck, cut down each side of the back bone with a pair of kitchen shears. Remove backbone.
2. Turn the chicken over and press on the breast bone to flatten.Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add marinade ingredients to a food processor or blender and pulse till finely chopped. Spread all over chicken then place in large zip lock bag or large covered bowl. Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours to overnight.

Grilling method

1. Prepare grill for direct high heat. Once grill is ready Add the vegetable oil to the cast iron skillet, spread around with paper towel to evenly coat inside of skillet. Place cast iron skillet on grill grate and allow to heat up for 5-10 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry.
3. Place chicken breast side down into skillet. Allow to cook for 20 minutes.
4. Gently flip chicken and add chicken stock. Allow chicken to cook for another 25-30 minutes. Temperature taken in breast should read 160+.
5. One chicken is done, remove to cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve.

Oven method:

1. When ready to cook, place a cast-iron skillet on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry.
3. Carefully remove the hot skillet and lower the oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Add the vegetable oil to the skillet, place the chicken breast-side down in it and return it immediately to the oven. Roast until well browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Gently flip the chicken and add chicken stock. Cook until the breast registers 160 degrees F, about another 10 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board. Slice and serve.

Nutrition Information

Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 642Total Fat 45gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 32gCholesterol 133mgSodium 1034mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 3gSugar 9gProtein 43g

Nutrition data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix, and should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate.

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