This crispy oven bbq chicken recipe is one of our family’s favorites! Made with just a few tasty seasonings and delicious barbecue sauce. Learn how to make oven baked bbq chicken in just a few quick and simple steps!
I love to make downhome, juicy, crispy, oven baked barbecue chicken whenever possible. Our whole family loves this dish, and it’s an easy recipe with just a few simple ingredients.
I will walk you through some of my favorite things with this recipe, but if you’re in a hurry, skip to the bottom below and grab the full printable recipe with all of our notes.
We’re sharing our favorite tips and tricks to make this chicken juicy, tender, crispy, and full of mouthwatering flavors. Our spice mixture is simple and created the perfect flavors your whole family will enjoy.
First, you want to make sure you’re using the right cuts of chicken.
What Cuts of Chicken Should I Use For Oven BBQ Chicken?
My favorite cuts of chicken to use for oven bbq chicken are pieces with bone in and skin on. Brown cuts of chicken will hold more juice and flavor than white meat, so keep the boneless skinless cuts for another recipe. The best cuts of meat as a rule of thumb with oven bbq chicken are always bone in and skin on. It’s also less expensive!
If you still prefer to use boneless skinless chicken breasts you will want to adjust and reduce the amount of cook time so the chicken doesn’t come out too dry. Here is a great oven baked sheet pan chicken recipe.
Next, you want to make sure you are using the right blend of seasonings for delicious flavor.
What Seasonings Should I Use For Oven BBQ Chicken?
You can make this simple or you can add a little spice. Here in Louisiana, we like to add a little spice. 🙂 To keep things simple, brush the chicken with olive oil and rub salt and pepper onto the skin. To add a little spice, I like to use:
- Brown sugar
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Salt
- Oregano
We typically make two trays of chicken for our family. The little ones like less seasoning and we adults like it to have a little more. It’s super easy to adjust this recipe, but I highly recommend the seasoning for a little extra, extra flavor 🙂
How to Perfectly Crisp the Skin
Since we like to make oven baked bbq chicken thighs, we always start off by perfectly baking and crisping the skin. To do that we prepare the baking sheet and cooling rack, then brush the tops of the chicken thighs with olive oil. I like to use a rimmed baking sheet to catch any excess drippings from the chicken.
To do this, I place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet. It allows the drippings from the chicken to drop onto the sheet and allows the chicken to become crispy.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.
- Add chicken to the cooling rack on top of the baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the chicken with oil, skin side up.
- Rub the seasonings onto the chicken.
- Bake the chicken for 25 minutes.
Now that the skin is nice and crispy, it’s time to add the bbq sauce.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Thighs in Oven
Now that the chicken has baked for 25 minutes, remove the chicken and turn the oven down to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Now it’s time to toss the chicken with bbq sauce.
- Remove chicken from the oven.
- Turn heat down to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The chicken should be nice and crispy.
- Add bbq sauce to a large bowl and add chicken thighs.
- Toss the chicken with tongs, ensuring each piece is full coated.
- Place chicken back onto the cooling rack of the baking sheet.
- Bake the chicken for an additional 15 minutes of cooking time.
- Remove when finished, serve immediately.
BBQ chicken thighs are baked perfectly when using this time and temperature setting. You won’t be disappointed!
What Kind of BBQ Sauce Should I Use?
You can use your preferred BBQ sauce, and there are many recipes out there. I personally prefer to use Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce. It has a nice, sweet flavor that cooks well. We use it exclusively on almost all of our BBQ recipes.
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:
- Oven Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Instant Pot Crack Chicken
- Easy Ranch Chicken Burgers
What Sides Serve Well with BBQ Chicken?
I love my side dishes as much as I love the main dish. If you are looking for a few sides to add to this recipe, you might want to consider:
- Sweet Potato Fries
- Loaded baked potato salad
- Grilled sweet potato slices
- Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. If you make this recipe and love it, please consider rating the recipe card below. It lets us know what you like and what we should keep sharing. It also lets our readers know it’s a great recipe to make! Feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest.
Crispy Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 28 oz barbecue sauce (we use Sweet Baby Ray's)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.
- Add chicken thighs to the rack. Baste the chicken with olive oil.
- Rub the seasoning into the chicken.
- Place the chicken into the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven.
- Change the oven temperature to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add barbecue sauce to a bowl and toss the chicken thighs.
- Add the chicken back to the cooling rack and place into the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Remove and serve.
Notes
- We love to make this with all of the seasonings, but it’s just as good with just salt and pepper.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks are the best as they will keep juices and flavors the most.
- If using boneless skinless chicken breasts, lower the temperature to 400 and bake for 25 minutes.
- Make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure the chicken is fully cooked.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is a calculated guesstimate. Please note that this can change with different brands and modifications you may make to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements you’re using with each recipe.
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