| The Magic of Mojo, Part 1

Author / John

IMG_0562There’s just something about picking a fruit off a tree or vegetables from a garden and bringing them to my table that thrills me. It takes me out of today’s 24/7 go go technology driven world if only for a little while and brings a sense of calm while creating culinary pleasures.

This lovely sour orange tree has been around ever since I first visited my in-laws house in Jacksonville back in 1985. When I was up there this past Christmas the tree was in full bloom and I climbed as high as I could and gathered a bounty of the abundant fruit.  “You’re going to fall out of that tree PJ”, my husband yelled at me. No I’m not, I’m Field Strong. “What are you going to do with all those oranges, you can’t possibly use them before they rot”. Ever the pragmatic realist.

IMG_0732Well, for about a week they looked rather pretty sitting on my counter, dining room table and a few other areas in decorative bowls.

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But it was time to squeeze those babies, put them in different size Mason jars and then into the freezer and voila, I now have plenty of sour orange juice to last us through the season. Now, let’s turn this into dinner. . .

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Cut up your chicken into pieces. We did breasts and drumsticks this go round. Hubby’s into breasts and I’m a leg girl.

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Process the garlic, onions and oregano in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the sea salt and pepper and with the processor running add in the olive oil in a slow steady stream.

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Pour into a bowl and add the sour orange juice, stirring to combine.

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In a large Ziploc bag pour the marinade over the chicken pieces and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 to 48+ hours. Remove from fridge 1 hour prior to cooking.

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You can cook these in the oven but my preference is always on the grill. Cook covered using indirect heat for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear.

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Enjoy! And stay tuned for Part 2 — Mojo Roast Pork. . .

Recipe & Ingredients
3-4 lb pastured whole chicken or pieces
1 1/2 cups sour orange juice*
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
6-8 fresh garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
3+ tablespoons fresh oregano
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
*if you can’t find sour oranges you may substitute equal parts fresh orange and lemon juice

Preparation
If using a whole chicken, cut into individual pieces and set aside. In a food processor place the coarsely cut garlic, onion, oregano and sea salt and pepper and pulse until finely chopped.

With the processor running pour in the olive oil in a slow steady stream. Remove mixture to a large bowl and blend in the orange juice. Transfer to a large Ziploc bag and add your chicken pieces. Allow to marinate in the fridge for 24 to 48+ hours.

Remove from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature one hour before cooking. This can be cooked in the over at 375 for around 40-45 minutes but we prefer to grill. Place on hot coals and cook with indirect heat for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear.

Check out more Power Athlete friendly recipes on my blog . . . Paula Lean Primal Queen!

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AUTHOR

John

John Welbourn is CEO of Power Athlete and Fuse Move. He is also creator of the online training phenomena, Johnnie WOD. He is a 9 year veteran of the NFL. John was drafted with the 97th pick in 1999 NFL Draft and went on to be a starter for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999-2003, appearing in 3 NFC Championship games, and for starter for the Kansas City Chiefs from 2004-2007. In 2008, he played with the New England Patriots until an injury ended his season early with him retiring in 2009. Over the course of his career, John has started over 100 games and has 10 play-off appearances. He was a four year lettermen while playing football at the University of California at Berkeley. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Rhetoric in 1998. John has worked with the MLB, NFL, NHL, Olympic athletes and Military. He travels the world lecturing on performance and nutrition for Power Athlete. You can catch up with John as his personal blog on training, food and life, Talk To Me Johnnie and at Power Athlete.

4 Comments

  1. Ingo B on April 20, 2015 at 12:48 pm

    Legs and breasts? Great, now I’m horny AND hungry.

    Giving this a shot this weekend.

  2. Paula on April 21, 2015 at 2:55 am

    @ingob not a bad combo. . .

  3. CALI on April 21, 2015 at 3:19 pm

    @shebeast – This looks amazing. If I could afford you as a personal chef, I would hire you faster than you can say “breasts and legs”.

  4. Paula on April 21, 2015 at 3:51 pm

    @cali I’ll work for room and board, I’m on the next plane. . .

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