This Venezuelan Roasted Chicken is juicy, tender and so easy to make! Every single bite will be a flavor bomb explosion in your mouth. The traditional Venezuelan Mojo for the chicken is also included. Plus, step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Venezuelan Roasted Chicken Recipe – Pollo a la Brasa Venezolano
This Venezuelan Roasted Chicken tastes just as good as it looks! It’s zesty, garlicky, and makes a perfect weeknight or weekend dinner.
I love that it delivers crispy skin, juicy meat, and a nice dinner to go with my super popular yucca fries and guasacaca.
You will be blown away by how much you love the Venezuelan Roasted Chicken! It feeds a small crowd, looks impressive, and tastes amazing.
Venezuelan Roasted Chicken Ingredients
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and instructions (scroll down).
You’ll need:
- A whole chicken
- Fresh lime juice
- Vinegar
- Canola or vegetable oil
- Garlic
- Green bell pepper
- Red onion
- Salt and black pepper
- Sweet paprika (pimento dulce)
- Sugar
- Cumin
Venezuelan Mojo for Roasted Chicken
In Venezuela, roasted chicken restaurants drizzle the chicken with a mojo, just before serving. The mojo is SO delicious. I tried my best to replicate the mojo and I think I came very close! This is what you’ll need to make the mojo:
- Vinegar: I recommend regular white vinegar.
- Fresh lime juice
- Salt and black pepper
- Dry oregano
- Garlic: To make the mojo, you don’t need to peel and mince the garlic if you don’t want. Just crush them lightly with the flat of a knife and the heel of your hand; that will be enough to infuse the mojo with garlic flavor. Feel free to peel and mince the garlic if you like a strong garlic flavor.
- Fresh cilantro
How To Make Roasted Chicken Venezuelan Style
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and instructions (scroll down).
1 – Prepare the marinade
Place lime juice, vinegar, oil, garlic, bell pepper, onion, salt, sweet paprika, sugar, cumin, and black pepper in a small food processor or blender; blend until smooth.
2 – Marinade the Chicken
Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers. Slightly loose the skin of the chicken with a spoon, if desired, so all the flavors of the marinade penetrate the chicken. Pat dry the chicken and place it in a gallon zip-top freezer bag. Add the marinade to the chicken and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
3 – Place chicken in a roasting pan
4 – Roast
Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350º F/ 180º C and continue roasting until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165º F, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking.
Pro Tip: If the chicken is getting too brown to your taste, cover the top with foil, leaving space between the top of the chicken and the foil tent for heat circulation.
5 – Make the Mojo
It’s super easy to make! You don’t even need to peel the garlic, just crush them lightly with the flat of a knife and the heel of your hand. Then place all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine.
You can make the mojo ahead since it gets better with time!
Roasted Chicken Internal Temperature
Roast the chicken until reaches an internal temperature of 165º F. This is the meat thermometer I used while roasting in the oven.
Air Fryer Roasted Chicken
Yes! preheat the air fryer to 350 for 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the air fryer basket breast-side up. Air fry for about 25 minutes, until the top of the chicken, is browned, then flip over, and cook for 25 minutes, until golden and crisp and brown all over and it reaches an internal temperature of 165º F.
Serving Ideas
The best way to complete this chicken is to add some yucca and guasacaca to the side. Of course, white rice, black bean, and plantains would be a wonderful combination too.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Venezuelan mojo for roasted chicken is made with white vinegar, fresh lime juice, salt and black pepper, dry oregano, garlic, fresh cilantro and/or parsley.
The CDC cautions to not rinse their chicken since it increases the risk of cross-contamination of food-borne pathogens. The USDA tells us that those pathogens are killed during the cooking process, so we do not need to worry, just pat dry using paper towels.
Yes, you can. Preheat the air fryer to 350 for 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to the air fryer basket breast-side up. Air fry for about 25 minutes, until the top of the chicken, is browned, then flip over, and cook for 25 minutes, until golden and crisp and brown all over and it reaches an internal temperature of 165º F.
The general rule of thumb is to roast the chicken for about 11-12 minutes per pound. Of course, the roasting time varies depending on the oven temperature. For best results, I highly recommend using a meat thermometer. The chicken is ready when the internal temperature reaches 165º F (74ºC).
Storing Instructions
Store: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat chicken either in an oven preheated to 350º F, or in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed through.
More Venezuelan Recipes You’ll Love!
- Venezuelan Asado Negro
- Venezuelan Pabellon Bowl [Video]
- Eggless Venezuelan Tequeños
- Venezuelan Flan Quesillo
- Venezuelan Polvorosas Cookies
- more
Easy Venezuelan Roasted Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons vinegar (I use white vinegar)
- 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 8 – 10 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup green bell pepper (about half medium pepper)
- 1 small red onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika (pimento dulce)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 3 – 4 lb (2-3 kg) whole chicken, giblets and neck removed from the cavity
Mojo:
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- 4 – 5 garlic cloves (no peeled and slightly crushed – see notes)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
Important
Don’t forget to check out the step-by-step photos above in the post—they’ll guide you through the process and make everything super clear!
Instructions
- Place lime juice, vinegar, oil, garlic, bell pepper, onion, salt, sweet paprika, sugar, cumin, and black pepper in a small food processor or blender; blend until smooth.
- Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside of the chicken dry. Slightly loose the skin of the chicken with a spoon, if desired. Place chicken in a gallon zip-top freezer bag.
- Add marinade to the chicken in the bag. Seal the bag and massage the chicken to coat in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to cook it to let it come up to room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 475º F/ 240°C.
- Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking excess and discarding the marinade. Optional: use kitchen string to tie the drumsticks together. Place breast-side up into baking tray or roasting pan.
- Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350º F/ 180º C and continue roasting until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165º F, about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Baste the chicken halfway through cooking. NOTE: If the chicken is getting too brown to your taste, cover the top with foil, leaving space between the top of the chicken and the foil tent for heat circulation.
- When the chicken is cooked, take the tray out of the oven and transfer the chicken to a board or plate to rest for 10 minutes or so. Then, cover it with a layer of tin foil and a tea towel to keep it warm.
- Drizzle the chicken with the mojo, if desire. Serve.
Make the mojo (optional):
- Place all the ingredients for the mojo in a small bowl and mix to combine. This can be made ahead of time since it gets better with time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Hola Oriana, me encantó esta receta. Gracias. Esta noche lo acompañamos con yuca 🙂
Hola Andrea!! Que bueno que te gusto. Muchas gracias por el comentario y por el review. Un abrazo!
Followed the recipe exactly except I used a pellet grill instead of the oven. Best chicken we have ever had. Marinating 2 more chickens right now.
Hello Brendan! Right? We LOVE this chicken too. It sounds like you nailed it! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and taking the time to come back and let me know.
This is probably a silly question. But is the mojo sauce supposed to have the oil in it or is it truly acide-based? Thanks!
Hello Ryan! It’s not a silly question. I guess some mojos are acid-based, but after several testing, I found that the addition of oil in this recipe, really helps with the flavor and texture. Thanks for your interest in my recipe. Please come back and let me know how you like it =)