Cuban Sauce Marinade
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Mango's-Style Mojo Sauce

A Cuban-inspired citrus-garlic mojo sauce, perfect for grilled chicken, pork, or as a dipping sauce.
10 minutes to prep. 5 minutes to cook. 15 minutes total.

Some equipment below links to Amazon and earns this site a commission at no cost to you. Nothing is here that we wouldn't use anyway — how that works.

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1 cup sour orange juice (or 1/2 cup orange juice + 1/2 cup lime juice)
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
  2. Add minced garlic and onion, cooking until just fragrant but not browned.
  3. Remove from heat and stir in oregano and cumin.
  4. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  5. Whisk in citrus juices, salt, and pepper.
  6. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using as a sauce or marinade.

This recipe was inspired by the SOBE Chicken at Mango’s in Miami Beach – a vibrant spot we discovered before a Caribbean cruise. After the chef kindly explained the elements of a traditional mojo over email, I worked to recreate those authentic citrus-garlic flavors that made their grilled chicken so memorable. This version stays true to the Cuban roots of mojo, with plenty of garlic and citrus in an oil base.

Serving Suggestions

Perfect for grilled chicken, pork, or as a dipping sauce. For the full SOBE experience, serve over grilled chicken breast with black beans, jasmine rice, and sweet plantains.

Storage Tips

  • Keeps in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  • Oil may solidify when chilled – let stand at room temperature before using.

Equipment

What each of these actually changes about the result. Links go to Amazon and earn this site a commission at no cost to you — more on that here.

  • Balloon whisk$

    A wide balloon shape pulls air in faster and reaches the curve of a bowl, which is what you want for a dressing you are trying to emulsify by hand.

  • Heavy-bottomed saucepan, 2-3 qt$$

    A thick base spreads heat instead of concentrating it in hot spots, so a tomato sauce reduces slowly rather than scorching in a ring on the bottom.

  • Fine rasp grater (Microplane style)$

    Shears garlic and citrus zest into a paste rather than crushing it, which releases far less of the harsh sulfur compounds a press produces. Noticeably changes a raw garlic sauce like mojo.