Oven BBQ Chicken
By Ali Slagle
This mostly hands-off oven method produces juicy chicken with a sticky barbecue glaze. The seasoned chicken roasts over the sauce, enriching it with rendered fat, before being coated and roasted again until caramelized. Serve the remaining sauce alongside for dipping.
Ingredients
- 1 18-ounce jar barbecue sauce, or 2 cups homemade barbecue sauce
- About 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters or thighs, patted dry
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as grapeseed
- 2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Preparation
- 1
Heat the oven to 425°F. Spread the barbecue sauce evenly in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or another ovenproof pan that holds the chicken snugly.
- 2
Toss the chicken with the oil, chili powder, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Place skin-side up over the sauce and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until the skin is crisp.
- 3
Scrape the caramelized sauce from the sides of the pan and stir it into the remaining sauce. Turn the chicken in the sauce, return it skin-side up and spoon more sauce over it. Roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, until sticky and charred in places.
- 4
Move the chicken to plates. Stir the vinegar into the sauce left in the pan and serve it alongside the chicken.
Notes
Saved 5 months ago: “BBQ Baked Chicken Thighs” — a version scaled to 2 to 3 servings for crispy, sticky, charred chicken. Ingredients: 1 cup barbecue sauce (or 9 ounces jarred sauce), 1.5 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry; 1.5 teaspoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed; 1 teaspoon chili powder; 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika; 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt, such as Diamond Crystal; and 0.5 teaspoon apple cider vinegar. The saved instructions begin by heating the oven to 425°F and pouring the barbecue sauce into a pan, but the note cuts off there.