Mojo Chicken with Fried Yuca and Pineapple

This mojo sauce is easy, flavorful, and the perfect addition to many meats and vegetables. Keep it in your rotation to add an extra zing to your weeknight meals. Feel free to get creative with vegetable substitutions in this recipe. Any starchy root will taste sublime!

Cuisine

Latin American

Course

Dinner, Lunch

Difficulty

Medium

Duration

1 Hour and 15 Minutes

Diet

Low Carb

Cooking Technique

Air Fry

Keywords

1 hour and 15 minutes, 4 to 6 servings, air fry, chicken, chili powder, cilantro stems, cook 45 min, diced, dinner, dried oregano, flavorful, garlic cloves minced, ground cumin, Instant Pot Culinary Team, jalapeno deseeded and minced, large limes juiced (1/4 cup), latin american, lightly torn, low carb, lunch, medium, minced cilantro leaves and tender stems, mojo, olive oil, orange juiced, peeled and diced, pineapple, prep 30 min, salt, salt to taste, scallions cut into 2-inch pieces, thighs cut into 2-inch pieces, yellow onion quartered and layers separated, yuca

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

45 min

Servings

4 to 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 2-inch pieces
1 orange juiced
5 large limes juiced (1/4 cup)
½ cup olive oil
9 garlic cloves minced
1 jalapeno deseeded and minced
1 cup minced cilantro leaves and tender stems
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
1 ½ cups pineapple, diced
1 yellow onion quartered and layers separated
1 cup yuca, peeled and diced
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp olive oil
15 cilantro stems, lightly torn
4 scallions cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt to taste

Instructions

Prepare the mojo sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, minced garlic, minced jalapeno, minced cilantro, dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, and salt. Ingredients should be finely chopped. Refrigerate half of the sauce for later and use the remaining sauce in the mixing bowl as marinade for the chicken. Note, the sauce will oxidize so be sure to refrigerate quickly.
In the same medium mixing bowl, coat 2-inch chicken pieces with the mojo marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 Minutes or up to 8 Hours.
3. While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables. Locate two large mixing bowls, one for seasoning raw vegetables, and one for combining all final cooked ingredients. In one bowl, toss the diced pineapple with onion slices, ground cumin, dried oregano, and olive oil. Broil at 400°F for 10 Minutes, or until the onion edges are charred and the pineapple is golden. Do not shake the basket while cooking. Set aside all cooked pineapple and onion in the second mixing bowl.
In the first mixing bowl, toss diced yuca with 1 tsp salt and any lingering pineapple and onion juices. Air Fry at 385°F for 14-16 Minutes, or until golden brown and lightly charred. Set aside in the same mixing bowl as the cooked pineapple and onion.
Finally, strain the chicken from the marinade and Air Fry in batches at 400°F for 9-10 Minutes, until cooked and lightly charred. Do not shake the basket while cooking. Add all cooked chicken and juices from the air fryer basket to the bowl with the cooked pineapple, onion, and yuca.
Add chopped scallions and torn cilantro stems to the bowl with the cooked chicken, pineapple, onion, and yuca. Toss all ingredients with the leftover refrigerated mojo sauce. Season with salt to taste and serve warm.