A few months ago, I was assigned to a new position at work where I get the chance to work again with an old colleague of mine that I worked with when I first started my career almost 15 years ago. Its great working with an old friend and reminiscing of old times. Since being assigned at this new position, however, all she and I have been talking about was food and exchanging recipes. I introduced her to my blog and she introduced me to this wonderful, flavorful recipe for Cuban Chicken. She lead me to this recipe from the Food Network. Let me just cut down to the chase...........this chicken is probably one of THE BEST things I've made on this blog. Yup, its that's good. And I have thanked my friend a million times for introducing to me this dish that is reminiscent of our days when we would eat at one of our favorite Cuban restaurant - Versailles, and I would have their garlic chicken. This dish was so easy to make, it was ridiculous. And the end result is this burst of flavor in your mouth. You will be just as amazed as I was. It marinades for 2 days. But the first time I made it, I didn't get to cook it until the 3rd day, and it probably made it even more delicious. I cooked half of the batch of chicken, and froze the other half for later use, which came out just as good. I also served this with sweet fried plantains. You can also serve this with black beans to complete your Cuban meal. Make this dish now, and you'll thank me later. Thanks Cossette!!!
1 cup lime juice
2 cups orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed, but store-bought is ok)
1/2 cup lemon juice
12 cloves garlic, crushed then roughly chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. cumin
salt & pepper to taste
3 whole chickens cut up (or 8-10 pieces of chicken thighs)
1) Combine all marinating ingredients together. Place chicken in a deep roasting dish or gallon sized Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over chicken and marinade for 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
2) When ready to cook, preheat oven to 450 deg F. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan. Pour marinade over the chicken and place pan on the lower third of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until juices run clear and chicken is cooked through and sauce begins to caramelize. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, baste the chicken with the sauce. Serve with rice, fried plantains and black beans.
(Note: You can also grill the chicken over an open flame until cooked through. Use the sauce to baste the chicken to keep it moist).
