This crispy oven bbq chicken recipe uses only TWO INGREDIENTS – barbecue sauce and chicken (plus a little olive oil, salt, and pepper) – to make the crispiest, most perfectly glazed, sweet, sticky, and juicy baked barbecue chicken you will ever have.
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That’s right- only TWO INGREDIENTS! Your favorite BBQ sauce, and some chicken, along with a little oil, salt, and pepper.
And the other great thing- this recipe doesn’t require any marinating! You can just dive right in and cook it quickly.
There are a few tricks to getting the BEST, crispiest, juiciest oven bbq chicken with a thick, sticky, sweet glaze of bbq sauce on top. In this post, I’ll go over exactly how to make the best oven bbq chicken ever. There’s a reason why this recipe has been rated 5 stars by over 70 people and has been pinned almost 400K times!
What cut of chicken is best to use for oven bbq chicken?
For the juiciest, most tender oven bbq chicken, you’re definitely going to want to use bone-in, skin on chicken pieces for this. I used a mix of thighs and drumsticks, and I do recommend using thighs and/or legs, since dark meat is harder to overcook and almost always tastes juicier than white.
Here’s a general run-down of which cuts are worst and best for oven bbq chicken:
- Worst: boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Not quite as bad: boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Better: bone-in, skin on chicken breasts
- Best: bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or legs
If you want to use chicken breasts, I recommend making sure you get bone-in, skin on breasts. Or at the very least, bone-in. The skin and the bone both help keep the chicken super juicy. And if you use dark meat as well, you’ve hit the trifecta! Using bone-in, skin on dark meat guarantees juicy, tender chicken every time. As a bonus: these pieces are generally a lot less expensive!
If you really want to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, make sure you cook them for less time. Check out the recipe notes for how to do it. For a recipe that uses bone-in, skin OFF chicken thighs, check out this Spiced Chicken and Rice with Apples and Raisins.
And if you’re looking for super high quality chicken at a reasonable price, check out ButcherBox!
How to get a super THICK BBQ glaze
First, the chicken is seasoned with oil, salt and pepper, placed skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet, and roasted for 25 minutes.
Then, the chicken is removed from the oven and basted with BBQ sauce THREE times.
Each time BBQ sauce is added, it thickens and caramelizes in the oven. By the time you’ve added that third layer, you’ve got a delicious thick, sweet, sticky layer of BBQ sauce on every inch of the chicken.
YUM.
How to get CRISPY, CHARRED SKIN.
Oh boy, do I love some good crispy chicken skin. Those dark, charred parts of oven bbq chicken are the best!
Something to note: these chicken pieces are smothered in sauce, so the skin won’t ever be quite as crispy as when you roast it when herbs and butter, for example.
Here are some tips for getting that dark, charred, crispy skin:
- Broil the chicken at the end. After you’re done cooking it, if the skin isn’t as crisp as you like, move the oven rack up and turn on your broiler. Keep an eye on it- just a few minutes should do the trick!
- Cook the chicken on a baking rack. Using a rack nestled into your rimmed baking sheet will elevate the chicken and cause air to circulate around the whole piece, rather than having it sit in the juices. If you do this, just keep it skin-side up the whole time- no need to flip!
What kind of BBQ sauce should I use?
You can use any kind you want! I live right down the street from Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, TX, and I’m obsessed with their Spicy BBQ Sauce.
A lot of readers have commented that they’ve used Sweet Baby Ray’s with great results.
Something to keep in mind: a lot of store-bought BBQ sauces have a lot of added sugar. Frankly, it’s what makes it taste so good and sugar is vital for getting that thick caramelization. You can make your own homemade bbq sauce if you prefer.
Prepare yourself for finger-licking deliciousness.
What kind of baking sheet should I use?
I cannot recommend enough using a Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Baker’s Half Sheet
PLUS, they are only around $12! Go get one!
If you prefer to bake the chicken on a rack, so it doesn’t sit in the juices the whole time and crisps up a bit better, this rack nestles in perfectly to the rimmed baking sheet (see recipe notes for tips on getting the skin extra crispy).
Can I make this ahead of time and reheat?
While I’ve personally never done this, many readers have asked if this is possible so I wanted to make sure I answered this question! Here’s what I would do to make oven bbq chicken in advance and then reheat.
First of all, when reheating chicken, there is a risk of it overcooking and becoming dry. So if you are planning to do this, I would recommend making sure you only use dark meat (thighs/drumsticks) as white meat (breasts) tend to overcook easily. Dark meat can actually be more tender and delicious if it’s cooked to a higher temperature (around 180-190 degrees F, rather than the “safe” temperature of 165).
Cook the recipe as directed, then you can store the cooked chicken in the fridge for 1-2 days in an airtight container or covered in a baking dish with foil. When you are ready to reheat, place the chicken in a baking dish (if not done already) and cover tightly with foil. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Check the temperature inside the chicken – it should be reheated to at least 165 degrees F (again, you can go a bit higher and should be fine).
With this reheating method, the skin will have lost any crispiness it had. Once it’s reheated, you can place on a broiler-safe baking sheet and broil for a little to re-crisp the skin a bit (though it will likely still be a little soggier than fresh after cooking – still delicious though!).
What to serve with oven baked BBQ Chicken
- Southern Style Green Beans
- Cold Potato Salad with Buttermilk Dill Dressing
- Mashed Cauliflower with Butter and Herbs
- 20-Minute Creamy Lemony Vegetable Pasta Salad
- Spicy Jalapeño Cilantro Slaw
Want a different take on the same recipe? This Oven BBQ Salmon uses a similar basting technique in only 10 minutes!
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Two Ingredient Crispy Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 8-10 chicken thighs and/or drumsticks bone-in, skin on
- 2 cups of your favorite bbq sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or canola oil
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Coat the chicken on all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven and turn the temperature of the oven up to 425 degrees.Tip: be sure to close the oven door every time you remove the chicken in this recipe, as you don't want the heat from the oven to escape!
- Coat the top of the chicken with barbecue sauce using a basting brush. Use a spatula to flip the chicken over, being careful not to tear the skin. Baste the other side of the chicken, and place back in the oven for 7 minutes.
- Remove from oven, baste top with barbecue sauce, and place back in oven for 7 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven again and baste again, for a total of three times, and place back in oven for 7 more minutes. The chicken will have cooked for a total of 46 minutes. This should be enough time for it to cook fully, but you should always double check temperature with a meat thermometer to make sure it's at least 165 degrees F.Tip: You should double check the temperature of the chicken at the thickest part of the meat using a high quality meat thermometer – it is fully cooked at 165 degrees F but dark meat is best at 180-190 degrees F, see notes for more on this). Give it more time in the oven to cook if it's not up to temperature. See notes for more troubleshooting.
- If the chicken hasn't crisped and browned to your liking, move the oven rack up and broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes, until it's more crispy.
- I recommend letting the chicken sit for 5 minutes or so after cooking before serving so the juices redistribute.
Notes
- Crispy skin tips: Pat the chicken dry before cooking. You can also place the chicken skin side up from the beginning (skip the first, skin side down step) on a baking rack nestled into a rimmed baking sheet, to elevate it so it’s not sitting in its juices, resulting in more crispiness all around (and less fat!). Bake for 25 minutes, then add BBQ sauce as directed, do not flip.
- Baking skin-side up the whole time is a bit easier and less work, so feel free to do this! The reason for baking skin side down first is to ensure more even cooking and allow the fat to render off the skin, which can allow for crispier overall skin. However, it sometimes sticks to the pan. I recommend a nice thin sturdy metal spatula, slid under the chicken quickly with a sharp motion, when it’s time to flip it. But feel free to just bake skin-side up the whole time if you want an easier, less fussy solution!
- Water chilled vs. Air Chilled chicken: Water chilled chicken is cheaper, but it contains a high water content and a diluted flavor. I recommend using air chilled chicken if you can afford it. But if you need to use water chilled chicken (this is the most common kind) – here are my tips for making sure it’s not too soggy or watery:
- Dry brine it. Place the chicken pieces on a wire baking rack on a rimmed baking sheet and rub them with salt, and leave it uncovered in the fridge for 2-12 hours. Some of the water will be drawn out by the salt, and will collect in the bottom of the baking sheet. Elevating the chicken on the rack will ensure it’s not reabsorbing the liquid. As a bonus, this will also flavor the meat and help it retain moisture when cooking. You can also follow the advice above for crispy skin, baking the chicken directly on the wire rack. Give the chicken a rinse to remove the majority of the salt, pat dry, and don’t add much or any additional salt to the chicken.
- Bone-in, skin on chicken thighs and drumsticks are the best for juicy chicken every time. If you use chicken breasts, I recommend bone-in, skin on.
- If you really want to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I recommend baking them initially for only 10 minutes instead of 25, add some bbq sauce on the top, flip them, then continue to baste them in BBQ sauce every 7 minutes three times. This will result in a total cooking time slightly over 30 minutes. At this point they will probably be done cooking, but you should use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part to double check that they are 165 degrees F.
- Over-cooking the chicken – using thighs actually ensures you probably won’t overcook the chicken! Thighs are best when they are more around 185-195 degrees F, but safe to eat at 165 degrees F. But like other fattier cuts of meat, cooking it for longer can yield a more tender result.
- If you want to use wings, use the same timing and temp.
- Recipe and basting technique adapted from Ree Drummond’s Oven BBQ chicken recipe.
- Some users have commented that this recipe makes for a very messy oven. This has never happened to me, so I imagine it has to do with a specific oven and/or pan. But if you find that it is splattering a lot, you can tent it with foil to prevent a mess!
- Some users have had issues with the chicken being “fully cooked” in the given time. 46 minutes is MORE than enough time to cook chicken pieces, but here is some troubleshooting that might help:
- Make sure your chicken is fully defrosted if previously frozen.
- If using giant chicken thighs or larger pieces like legs, it may need more time.
- Measure the temperature in the thickest part of the meat, not the bone.
- Taking the temperature is the only safe way to gauge doneness. Chicken may look pink or even reddish depending on the type – if it’s organic, or a young chicken, this can happen with a chemical reaction with the hemoglobin. This is why the advice of looking for clear juices to indicate doneness is outdated and should not be used.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
This oven bbq chicken recipe originally appeared on Bowl of Delicious in September 2015. It has been updated to include more detailed instructions, a video, tips and tricks, and process shots.
Christina caldwell
Hi! I am only cooking 4 legs will the cooking time still be the same? Thanks!
Elizabeth
Hi! I believe the cooking time will be about the same- maybe just a little bit shorter. Luckily, because you are cooking them with the bone in and the skin on, you will likely not overcook it because it’s really hard to overcook this kind of chicken! I think going with the same amount of time is a safe bet, or just a few minutes shorter. Hope you like it!
Michele A.
Made this for dinner last night and it was amazing. My husband didn’t say a word until his plate was empty! Great recipe….this one is going to be my new “go-to” recipe for oven baked bbq chicken.
Elizabeth
So glad you and your husband liked it! That’s how you know a meal is good- by how silent people are when eating it :-)
Marjorie
Do you think I could use hot sauce instead of BBQ sauce with this recipe?
Elizabeth
I think it would be worth a try! One of the reasons why BBQ sauce creates a thick coat on the chicken is because it has sugar in it (either regular sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and/or honey), and the sugars get thick in the oven. So I don’t think hot sauce would create a “glaze” like the BBQ sauce does. If you do it, I recommend making a buffalo sauce by mixing hot sauce with some melted butter. If you try it, let me know how it comes out!
K
I plan on trying this as well :D we don’t have BBQ sauce, but plenty of Frank’s Red Hot/Hidden Valley and the woman’s been in the mood for hot wings soooo… yeah. Let’s see how this turns out :)
Kathy
This was the best! Thanks for sharing this. My husband loved it.
Maria Ann Citizen Taylor
Excellent recipe. I have to say this is delicious and crispy. Of course I used Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning. It’s a Louisiana favorite.
Dana
So when using boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 of them) how would you adjust the cooking temperature? Cook for 15 minutes, flip, baste and cook for 7 minutes and then baste and cook for another 7 minutes?
Elizabeth
Hi Dana,
That sounds like the perfect amount of time! My general rule of thumb for baking chicken breasts is 30-35 minutes. And even though it’s not perhaps the most “professional” method, I often will just cut into a chicken breast to see if it’s cooked :-)
April
Hi,
I really want to make this with skinless, boneless chicken. Will I be sorry?
Elizabeth
Not if you don’t overcook it! It will need less time than the instructions here say. No need to flip either. Usually I bake chicken breasts for 30-35 minutes. I’m a “cut into it to see if it’s done” kind of gal but you can also use a meat thermometer to make sure they are at 165 degrees F. Hope that helps!
Heather
Any suggestions on temperature when you’re only using 2 chicken breast and 1 boneless breast?
Elizabeth
Are there 2 bone-in chicken breasts and 1 boneless breast? The bone-in breasts will cook slower than the boneless. I recommend cooking the bone-in ones the same as described on this post (maybe a few minutes less), and adding the boneless breast after the other ones have been in the oven for 15 minutes. That means the total cooking time for the bone-in breasts will be about 45 minutes and the boneless one for 30 minutes. Hope that helps! :-)
Keshira
Can you use wings
Elizabeth
Sure! Just cook them for a shorter time since they are smaller :-)
Kathy
This looks like the chicken my mom would when I was at home! Making it now.
Elizabeth
Hope it turned out awesome! :)
Michelle
I love this recipe!!!! My mom hates bbq chicken but loves when I make this recipe.
Best bbq chicken ever
Elizabeth
Yay!! So glad you AND your mom like it! Thanks for commenting :-)
Elizabeth C
I love this recipe. Yesterday I mixed it up and made the chicken on the grill. It is summer after all. :)
I made the BBQ sauce that Elizabeth linked to above and it was so yummy! I definitely recommend making that sauce for this recipe.
Elizabeth
I need to try that sauce! Thanks for letting me know how good it is! :-)
Brittany
I just finish making this recipe omg it is so good and tender I love it. I def will make it again. Thanks for posting that
Elizabeth
Hooray! So glad you liked it, Brittany!
Rebecca
Wanting to make this for dinner tonight, curious on the cooking times for leg quarters? I normally cook at 325 for an hour or two in a baking dish (the meat falls right off the bones and is suoer juicy!) And still achieve a nuce crispy crunch to the skin, but that’s without bbq sauce… so I’m curious if we need the higher temp to crisp the thickness of said bbq sauce?
Elizabeth
Rebecca- you are right, cooking it at a lower temperature won’t result in crispy skin. BUT, there is a solution! I recommend cooking it how you usually do at 325 (sounds delicious- love cooking low and slow) and during the last few minutes with the skin side up, turning the broiler on high until the skin crisps up. That should work fine!
Yolanda
Just prepared this a few hours ago. Skin didn’t get crispy as I had hoped (my oven cooks really fast so I have to adjust the temp accordingly), but it was yummy!!! Will certainly be making again! Thanks for sharing :)
Elizabeth
So glad you liked it, Yolanda! :-)
Eunice
did you flip it each time you basted or only the first time? I probably should have asked this sooner as they are in the oven now
Elizabeth
I only flipped it the first time. When it’s skin side down, it ensures that the bottom of the chicken is cooked. When you flip it to skin side up, leave it facing up so that the skin gets crispy. Hope you like it! :-)
Mimi
What about the legs? There is skin on all sides?
Elizabeth
For the legs it doesn’t matter as much, but there definitely is a side where the skin is smoother and more “intact.” But don’t worry about it with them- whichever side you put up or down they will still be great! :-)
Lori
Does the skin come out crispy? What if I don’t have olive oil?
Elizabeth
Yes, it should come out pretty crispy! And you can use any kind of oil you want. Vegetable oil would work well. I just would not use butter- it will still be tasty but less crispy if you do!
Heather
Made this for dinner tonight- came out perfect! thank-you, we will be making this again!
Elizabeth
Yay! So glad you liked it, Heather!
Shana
Trying it now fingers crossed it comes out great… I’m 16 and a great cook but I hope this comes out perfect ?
Elizabeth
Awesome- hope you like it! Good for you- cooking is my absolute favorite thing to do but I didn’t teach myself how to do it until I was in my early 20s. I always wished I had discovered it sooner! I’m a high school art teacher as well as a blogger and I can tell you right now that not many of the 16 year olds I teach cook, but learning to cook is SO important :-) Let me know how it comes out, and keep up the good work!
Naomi
Love it! This was a blast at home. Thanks Elizabeth :)
Elizabeth
Thanks, Naomi! Glad you liked it :-)
Krista
I don’t have olive oil what else can I use ? Margarine ??
Elizabeth
I would use another oil first (canola or something), and if you don’t have it then butter!
Theresa
Hi
I’m making the chicken now. One question I have is when I baste the chicken with BBQ sauce the second time , you say baste the top. Is it just the top ?
Elizabeth
Haha yes. I was definitely redundant there, good catch! Hope you like it :-)
Chelsea
That looks finger-lickin’ good!
Elizabeth
Thanks, Chelsea! It sure is! :-)
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Only 2 ingredients? I have to make this!
Patricia Connolly
I made this recipe tonight. It came out delicious. The only alteration to the recipe was that I always cook chicken longer than a recipe suggests. I’m nervous about chicken. This dish is a definite keeper. My husband loved it. So easy for such a good dish. P.S., I used the “on sale” BBQ sauce my husband bought instead of my usual sauce. When he brought it home, of course, I had something to say about it. Turns out it was delicious. Kraft. It was Kraft. I don’t know if it is being discontinued or what, but I suspect any favorite sauce will work. Thank you.
Elizabeth
Yay! So glad you liked it. I get nervous about chicken, as well- I always err on cooking for a bit longer!
Susan
I only have bone in, skin on chicken breasts. How long do you think they will take?
Elizabeth
White meat tends to cook a little faster than dark meat, but not by too much. I’d try the same timing but shorten the first round when the skin is down by a few minutes. When in doubt, you can always use a meat thermometer to make sure it’s cooked to the right temp! Hope you like it :-)
Teri
Does this recipe make the chicken come out super moist?
Elizabeth
Yes :-) Just made it the other night and I forgot how juicy it is! Just make sure you use bone-in, skin-on pieces. And dark meat (legs and thighs) tend to be juicier as well.
Theresa
Not to worry Kraft BBQ goes on sale often and has been around forever. My favorite.
shawn walker
thank,you good to know it was good because i am cooking it tonight for my family
Suzie
It was awesome. Best baked chicken I’ve ever tried.
Kendal
Can I do this in The crock pot ? How long and what setting do you recommend?
Elizabeth
Hm. You can definitely make BBQ chicken in the crockpot (here’s a recipe) but I don’t think you can apply the technique here to a crockpot, since it involves roasting at a high temp and removing to baste frequently. I would just throw some bone in skin on chicken seasoned with salt and pepper in your crock pot, cook for 8 hours on low / 4 hours on high, and after they are done, broil in the oven for a few minutes to crisp up the skin. If you try it, I’d love to know how it comes out!
Ginger Stark
Slow cookers are best for skinless meat. The skin gets gummy. Bone-in is good though.
Vivian González
That looks good
Ana
MADE IT two weeks ago didn’t make enough according to the hubby and boys making again tonight doubling the chicken thou ! It was delicious and so easy!
Elizabeth
So glad you and your family liked it! Thanks for the comment :-)
Filomena (Fil) Stillwagon
Made this last night…delicious and easy…family loved it! But the skin did not come out crispy; what did I do wrong? I will definitely make this again…would like to know how to make the skin crispy! It’s a really good recipe…thank you Elizabeth.
Elizabeth
So glad you liked the recipe! To make it extra crispy, try putting your broiler on for the last few minutes of cooking skin side up. You can also try roasting them skin side up for the whole time, rather than flipping them halfway through. They will never get quite as crispy as roasted chicken with just oil and seasoning, since the moisture content is higher. Hope that helps!
Valerie
I am going to the chicken on the grill for the last 10 minutes w/ BBQ sauce on it rotating it often to get it nice and crispy. To me oven never gets it real crispy like a grill does
Melanie
Do you cover the pan with foil ?
Elizabeth
Nope, leave it uncovered so the skin gets crispy!
Chelsea
I don’t have any olive oil whey can I use place of it
Elizabeth
You can use any cooking oil- vegetable or canola would be fine!
Cheryl
I love toasted seasame oil and used it in place of the olive oil in this recipe. It adds such a wonderful flavor to this chicken. Yummy!
Elizabeth
Oh wow- what an awesome idea!
CY
This chicken is amazing and super simple to make. I was wondering if you skim off some of the oil in pan before brushing on the BBQ sauce the first time? My family LOVED it and i did, too. Chicken was moist, cooked through, and covered in just the right amount of yummy sauce :-)
Elizabeth
I’m so glad you liked it! I have not skimmed the oil off, although, I did notice that there was quite a bit. I might try that next time I make this, or I might try elevating them on a wire rack inside the baking sheet, so the chicken isn’t sitting in the oil.
I
I made it last night. It was superb! Thank you!
Elizabeth
Yay! Happy you liked it :-)