Description
This Oven Baked BBQ Chicken recipe features juicy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs cooked in a homemade tangy and sweet barbecue sauce. The chicken is baked to perfection in the sauce, then finished under the broiler to create a sticky, caramelized glaze. A flavorful and easy dinner option that pairs beautifully with sides like mashed potatoes and green bean salad.
Ingredients
Scale
BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup (or Australian/UK tomato sauce)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1 cup water
Chicken
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs (bone in, skin on), drumsticks or wings
Garnish
- Fresh parsley, chives or finely chopped green onions (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) to prepare for baking the chicken.
- Make BBQ Sauce: In a ceramic or glass baking dish, combine ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and water. Stir well to mix all the sauce ingredients thoroughly.
- Coat Chicken: Add the chicken pieces to the sauce in the baking dish and turn them to coat evenly. Arrange the chicken skin side down in the sauce.
- Bake Chicken (First Stage): Bake the chicken for 20 minutes to begin cooking and infuse flavors from the sauce.
- Turn and Baste: Remove the dish from the oven, turn the chicken pieces over so the skin side is up, and spoon some of the sauce over the chicken.
- Bake Chicken (Second Stage): Return the chicken to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes, allowing the chicken to cook through and the flavors to intensify.
- Remove Excess Fat (Optional): Carefully tilt the pan and spoon off or drain any excess fat that has accumulated in the dish to keep the sauce rich but not greasy.
- Broil to Caramelize: Switch your oven setting to broil (grill) on high. Spoon sauce generously over the chicken, then place it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize the sauce and crisp the skin. Watch closely as this happens very quickly.
- Serve: Once caramelized, remove from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley, chives, or chopped green onions. Serve hot with your choice of sides like mashed potatoes and green bean salad.
Notes
- This recipe provides a speedy way to enjoy sticky BBQ chicken without needing an outdoor grill.
- The homemade barbecue sauce is quick to prepare and cooks along with the chicken, soaking up flavorful chicken juices.
- Using bone-in, skin-on chicken ensures juicy meat and crispy skin after broiling.
- Be attentive during the broiling step to avoid burning; the sugars in the sauce caramelize fast.
- You can easily swap chicken thighs for drumsticks or wings according to preference.
- The residual fat can be skimmed off after baking for a lighter sauce if desired.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 256 g
- Calories: 392 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 655 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Cholesterol: 168 mg
