Benefits of Oven Baking BBQ Chicken
BBQ chicken is a quintessential summertime party food. It’s a total crowd pleaser and an old friend of the grill. But you don’t need a grill or outside space to make this classic dish for your friends and family. In fact, oven baked BBQ chicken has plenty of benefits.
- Explore: Bacon Crusted BBQ Chicken Breast
Sure, you’ll miss a bit of smokiness and char from cooking over a flame or coals. But making BBQ chicken in the oven means no flame flare ups which can lead to an overly charred crust. You won’t have issues with the chicken sticking on the grill grates. And, the even, dry heat from your oven will ensure perfectly cooked chicken every time.
Baked BBQ chicken takes a few steps, but they’re all easy–and mostly hands-off. First, you’ll dry brine with your favorite BBQ rub for at least 6 hours and up to 24. Second, there’s a longish roast at a moderate temperature to cook the chicken through. Finally, the chicken gets bedazzled with a brush of BBQ sauce and a blast of high temperature to create the perfect sticky glaze. Sean calls it a lacquer and it’s an appropriate word.
- Explore: BBQ Pork & Bean Stew
Give this chicken a try this summer for your next cook-out. I’m sure after you try it, you’ll put it on your dinner menu all year long.
Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
BBQ Chicken
- 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and legs
- ⅓ cup BBQ seasoning rub store bought or homemade (see below for recipe)
- ½ cup BBQ sauce your fave!
BBQ Seasoning Rub
- 6 tbsp kosher salt
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 1½ tbsp chili powder
- 1½ tbsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 1½ tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dry thyme
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
BBQ Chicken
- Remove chicken from packaging and dry it off with paper towels. Place in a large bowl and sprinkle the BBQ seasoning over the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken evenly.Place on a baking sheet, uncovered, in refrigerator for 6-24 hours to dry brine.
- Heat oven to 350F degrees.Spray a clean baking sheet with non-stick spray or lightly oil it with a neutral oil like canola oil. Place the chicken on the baking sheet with about an inch of space between each piece. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the oven. Increase the temperature to 450F degrees.While the oven is coming up to the new temperature, use a silicone pastry brush to brush the chicken with BBQ sauce. Coat well. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the BBQ sauce has thickened and browned slightly creating a sticky, lacquered finish on the chicken.Remove from oven and serve.
BBQ Seasoning Rub
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Whisk to combine well. Store extra BBQ rub in a airtight jar or container for another use.
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The chicken with sauce was beautiful to look at, and even better to eat.
If you happen to have a quick and easy to use grill (like a Traeger), I bet doing the final sear in there would also be great.