The Easy Secret to the Best-Ever BBQ Chicken (2024)

Recipes
What To Make With
Chicken

Meghan Splawn

Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.

updated 2 days ago

summer

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You only need five ingredients to make this shortcut barbecue chicken.

Serves4 to 6

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Sticky-sweet BBQ chicken is the quintessential summer dinner that shouldn’t be limited to the lucky folks with backyard grills. I love BBQ chicken from the grill as much as anyone, but if we’re being really honest here, it is kind of time-consuming to do well. You’ve got to cook the chicken pretty perfectly without the sauce, and once the sauce is added you have to spend a lot of time flipping and basting to get that burnished-but-not-burned coating we all crave.

The oven has the power to quickly turn chicken pieces into crispy, slightly charred BBQ goodness for a not-boring chicken dinner any time of year.

4 Key Steps for BBQ Chicken in the Oven

Line your baking sheet with foil. BBQ chicken is messy and sticky; prepping the pan with foil makes for way easier cleanup.
Season the chicken directly and starting roasting it first. Another advantage of cooking the chicken solo for a bit? You can generously and directly season it. I think salt and a little garlic powder are all you need, but you could use your favorite spice mixture or rub too.
Meanwhile, reduce the sauce. Right after you get the chicken in the oven, pour a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. The sauce will take about 25 minutes to reduce by half and should sync up nicely with the cooking time of the chicken.
Crank up the heat to finish. Coat the chicken with the reduced sauce and turn up the oven’s temperature for chicken that is sticky and burnished all over.

Why You’ll Love It

Oven-roasting is so easy! The chicken is mostly hands-free cooking — leaving more time for making sides or just sipping lemonade.
The bbq chicken is perfectly burnished and sticky. Rather than turn on the broiler and risk burning the sauce in the final minutes, coat the chicken with the reduced sauce and turn up the oven’s temperature.

Key Ingredients in Baked BBQ Chicken

Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces: Use a combination of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs.
Garlic powder: Season the chicken with a simple mix of kosher salt and garlic powder.
Barbecue sauce: Use your favorite store-bought brand or homemade barbecue sauce.

Reduce the Sauce for Faster Cooking

Up to a certain point, we are going to cook the chicken and the BBQ sauce separately. It might sound a little fussy, but it guarantees us a few things.

Cooking the chicken on its own makes for crispy chicken skin.
It also helps the chicken cook faster — there’s no sauce impeding cooking or opening and closing the oven to slow the cook time.
Simmering the BBQ sauce on the stovetop to make it thicker, stickier, sweeter, and ready for a final basting. No burnt sauce or undercooked chicken here!

How to Make BBQ Chicken in the Oven

Heat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil. This will make cleanup so much easier.
Season the chicken with salt and garlic powder. Season the chicken evenly.
Roast the chicken skin-side down for 25 minutes. Arrange the chicken skin-side down in a single layer, spacing them evenly apart. Roast for 25 minutes.
Reduce the barbecue sauce by simmering on the stove. Simmer, stirring regularly, until reduced by about half, 20 to 25 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 450°F and brush with the reduced sauce. After 25 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Brush the chicken with the reduced sauce, flip the chicken over, and brush the skin and sides with sauce.
Roast the chicken for 10 minutes, then brush with more sauce. Return the chicken to the oven and roast for 10 minutes more. Brush the chicken all over again with the sauce.
Roast for an additional 10 minutes until burnished and sticky. Return the chicken to the oven for one last round of roasting. Roast until the chicken is sticky and darkened in spots, about 10 minutes more.
Serve the chicken with any remaining reduced sauce. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and serve with any remaining sauce.

What to Serve With Baked BBQ Chicken

You’re likely to have some leftover reduced sauce even after coating the chicken, but don’t waste it — it is extra flavorful. Serve it right alongside the finished chicken, along with these tasty side dishes.

Classic Potato Salad
Butter Bath Corn
Slow Cooker Baked Beans
Broccoli Bacon Salad
Creamy Coleslaw
Easy Pasta Salad

Make-Ahead and Storage Tips

Make ahead: The sauce can be reduced, cooled, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before brushing on the chicken.
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Grilled Chicken Recipes to Try

If you have a grill, try some of these delicious chicken recipes for your next summer cookout.

How to Grill Chicken
Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with BBQ Sauce
Buttermilk-Brined Grilled Chicken
Garlicky Grilled Chicken Thighs with Ginger and Lime
Grilled Spatchco*cked Chicken
Honey Jerk Grilled Chicken Thighs

Comments

Baked BBQ Chicken Recipe

You only need five ingredients to make this shortcut barbecue chicken.

Serves 4 to 6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

2 pounds
bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces
2 teaspoons
kosher salt
1 teaspoon
garlic powder
3 cups
barbecue sauce

Instructions

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Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil — this will make cleanup so much easier.
Combine 2 teaspoons kosher salt and 1 teaspoon garlic powder in a small bowl. Place 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces on the baking sheet, and season all over with the garlic powder mixture.
Arrange the chicken skin-side down in a single layer, spacing them evenly apart. Roast for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, simmer the sauce.
Place 3 cups barbecue sauce in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring regularly, until reduced by about half, 20 to 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 450°F. Brush the chicken with the reduced sauce, flip the chicken over, and brush the skin and sides with sauce.
Return the chicken to the oven and roast for 10 minutes more. Brush the chicken all over again with the sauce.
Return the chicken to the oven for one last round of roasting. Roast until the chicken is sticky and darkened in spots, about 10 minutes more.
Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and serve with any remaining sauce.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: The sauce can be reduced, cooled, and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Let come to room temperature before brushing on the chicken.

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

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Chicken

children

Dairy-Free

dinner

easy

Gluten-Free