Cuban recipe

Cuban Completa with Creole Roast Chicken, Congrí, Cassava and Cabbage-Tomato Salad

Name: Cuban Completa with Creole Roast Chicken, Congrí, Cassava and Cabbage-Tomato Salad
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 235 min
Ingredients: 4 chicken leg quarters (thigh with drumstick), about 350 g each; 8 cloves garlic; 1 tablespoon salt; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon ground pepper; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; ¾ cup sour orange juice; 1 large onion, cut into rings; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 cup cooked and drained red beans, plus 1 cup of their broth measured separately; 2 cups long-grain rice; 1 small onion, chopped; ½ green bell pepper, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, crushed; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 bay leaf; 1½ teaspoons salt; 2 cups water; 1 kg cassava; 1 tablespoon salt; Water, as needed; ¼ medium cabbage, thinly sliced; 3 ripe tomatoes, sliced or cut into wedges; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 pinch salt

Roast chicken quarter with Creole mojo, fluffy congrí, boiled cassava and a fresh cabbage and tomato salad: the Cuban Completa, baked in the oven.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation40 min
Cooking1 h 15 min
Total time3 h 55 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

In Cuba, the "completa" is the combination plate that brings everything together in a single serving: protein, rice and beans, a starchy root vegetable and something fresh to balance it. This version puts a roast chicken quarter with Creole mojo at the center, with golden skin and juicy meat, served with congrí, boiled cassava and a cabbage and tomato salad.

It is a meal for Sundays, birthdays or any day the family wants to sit down at the table together. The best part is that the chicken is marinated ahead of time and roasts on its own in the oven while you cook the congrí and the cassava on the stovetop.

Method

Marinating the chicken

In a mortar, crush the garlic with the salt, cumin, pepper and oregano until it forms a paste. Add the sour orange juice and mix.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Pat the chicken quarters dry with a paper towel, without washing them. Place them in a dish with the onion rings and the mojo, spreading it under the skin as well. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Roasting

Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Place the chicken skin side up on a baking tray, with the marinade onion, the oil and some of the mojo. Discard any leftover marinade you are not going to cook.
Roast for about 50-60 minutes, basting with the juices from the tray halfway through. Check for at least 74 °C in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone; roast longer if needed. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Congrí

In a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic in the oil until tender and fragrant.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Add 1 cup of drained cooked beans, 1 cup of their broth, the 2 cups of water, the cumin, the bay leaf and the salt. When it boils, add the washed and drained rice and stir just once.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
When the liquid has reduced to the level of the rice, lower the heat to the minimum, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Check that it is tender; if it is still firm and dry, add a few spoonfuls of hot water and keep cooking covered. Let rest for 5 minutes, remove the bay leaf and fluff the grains with a fork.

Cassava and salad

Peel the cassava, cut it into pieces and boil it in salted water for about 25-30 minutes, or until completely tender. Drain it, discard the water and remove the hard central fiber. Keep it warm.
Mix the thinly sliced cabbage with the tomato. Dress with the lemon juice, the oil and a pinch of salt just before serving, without mayonnaise.

Assembly

Serve on each plate a chicken quarter with its thoroughly cooked onion and juices, hot congrí and cassava, and a fresh cabbage and tomato salad.

Tips and variations

Marinade and total time: marinate the chicken covered in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours; you can do it the night before. The 235 total minutes include those 2 hours, 40 minutes of preparation and up to 75 of cooking and resting with the sides done in parallel. An overnight marinade lengthens the elapsed time.

Cooking: check for at least 74 °C with a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, without touching the bone. Do not rely only on the color of the juices. Any mojo that has been in contact with raw chicken is used only at the start of roasting so that it cooks through completely; it is not served raw or added at the end.

Congrí: this version starts with already cooked red beans. Measure 1 cup of drained beans and 1 cup of their broth separately. For the 2 cups of rice, also add 2 cups of water: 3 cups of liquid in total. Adjust with small amounts of hot water if the rice needs it. Cooking the beans from dry requires additional soaking and cooking.

Cassava: peel it completely, boil it until tender and discard its cooking water. If you use frozen cassava, follow the package directions; the time may vary and is not automatically shorter. Remove the hard central fiber before serving.

Storage: refrigerate cooked food promptly in shallow containers, preferably eat within 1-2 days and reheat until it reaches 74 °C in the center. Prepare and dress the salad just before serving.