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.
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 to make this oven baked BBQ chicken, and to roast literally anything you want. I have two and they are the ONLY baking sheets I will EVER use. They’re super sturdy, so they don’t buckle when the temperature changes (it’s the scariest thing ever when hot oil splatters when your pan buckles!). And they conduct heat well to make sure that your food is well cooked on the top and bottom, and they are really good at being non-stick, even though they don’t have any non-stick coating (it’s all natural!).
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).
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!
Did you make this oven BBQ chicken recipe? Please comment and rate it below!
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
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.
Video
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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and 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.
beverlee b lyons
Rufus Teague Made Some Sauce….best bbq sauce ever. (Touch O Heat what I used.) Delicious. I don’t much like chicken, and this was good! thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the tip on the sauce! Glad you liked the recipe :-)
Kim F.
Can you do this recipe in a air fryer?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never tried this recipe in an air fryer but I think you could use this method (https://thecookful.com/air-fryer-bbq-chicken/) with just salt and pepper seasoning and BBQ sauce like in my recipe and it would probably work!
Mike
Very simple and very good !!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it!
PENNY MCBRIDE
I loved everything about it! Quick, easy and delicious!! Thank you sooo much :-) Skin-on bone-in BBQ thighs…yum yum eat ’em up!!
Thank you
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Tata
Easy and delicious! Next best thing to grilled BBQ chicken! Now we don’t have to wait for warm weather to enjoy bbq. Making it 3rd time in a month.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Jane P.
If I don’t do the first step of cooking skin down for 25″ at 400, do I use 425 oven for cooking and basting?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes, you can do 425 for the whole time! As long as you are using bone in skin on thighs, it’s hard to overcook them, so a little range in temperature won’t matter very much. You also may want to cook them for a little less overall time. Hope that helps and hope you like it!
Jane
I thought this recipe was perfect! I did use boneless skinless thighs and they were delicious! I only baked them for 20 minutes initially. Thanks
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for your tips on using boneless skinless thighs, and so glad you liked the recipe!
Carly
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I want to make a mix of bone-in breasts, drumsticks and wings. Can you please suggest cooking times for the chicken breasts? Thank you! :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
I think you should be good with the same amount of time with bone-in, skin on breasts! Maybe you can check the temp of them (and the other pieces, since drumsticks and wings are also smaller than thighs) 5-10 minutes early to see if they are done. Hope that helps!
Ana@OasisofTaste
I was searching for good BBQ recipe. I will definitely try this.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope you like it!
Phillip
Not good. Skin was spongy on the drumsticks.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sorry you had a disappointing experience! The skin texture can vary greatly with different brands/kinds of chicken. Cheaper cuts of chicken are often packed with a lot of water which can result in a more spongy/mushy texture. I recommend looking for air chilled chicken which is not packed with as much water. This can be a bit expensive, so if you don’t want to spend the money, you can also unpack your chicken pieces and sprinkle them with salt and place on a rimmed baking sheet on a rack and refrigerate for 24 hours before baking. The salt will draw the water out and help dry them out which will result in crispier skin (but still moist meat). Hope that helps!
K
Weird question- I make these all the time and love them. I am NOT a cook so easy is best! Can I use this recipe but use a garlic butter mixture instead of bbq?
Elizabeth Lindemann
For sure! OK so with the bbq sauce, doing multiple layers of basting results in a thick sticky glaze of sauce. This won’t be necessary with the garlic butter mixture. I recommend just coating the chicken all over in the garlic butter (get under the skin a bit if you can!) and roasting skin-side up the whole time for about 40-45 minutes until fully cooked, without bothering with basting at all. Hope that helps!
Sha Lee
Not sure what all the hype is about, this recipe ended up being a real L for us. Leaving the skin on made the texture awful and I highly doubt that anyone’s chicken was fully cooked using the recommended instructions. Glad others seem to like it, but it was a big fat NO for us. Also, flavor was lacking since no crushed garlic was included in the recipe. Bet if you added that, you’d love it even more! Even tried the broil option too to avoid the mushy skin and the bite was just, gross.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sorry you had a frustrating experience! I have a few ideas as to how to improve it, for next time, or for anyone else reading this comment who is concerned.
1) First of all, this is a super basic recipe and you can feel free to spice it up to your liking! Adding some minced fresh garlic to the bbq sauce would be delicious, or seasoning the chicken with garlic powder/spices in addition to the salt and pepper before adding the bbq sauce would also be a good way to boost the flavor.
2) Another way to boost the flavor is to use an interesting BBQ sauce. There are so many out there- mild, spicy, sweet, smoky… try something with a little more flavor if you like.
3) This recipe, like so many other recipes, will only be as good as the ingredients you use. The chicken skin and texture issue sounds to me like it might have been an issue with the chicken you bought. Some really cheap chicken will be packed with water which can make it more “mushy” and flavorless, and fed a not great diet which can also affect the flavor. Buying air chilled chicken can help with this. You can also take the chicken out of the package the day before you are going to cook and place it on a wire rack on a baking sheet and sprinkle the top with salt and place in your refrigerator uncovered. The salt will draw the water out and help dry out the skin and help cook up a better piece of chicken with crispier skin! On that note, cheaper cuts are often larger as well and can take longer to cook (this timing always works for me, but it’s a good idea to always use a meat thermometer to check doneness).
4) Also as indicated in the recipe post, please make sure you do temper your expectations a bit for SUPER crispy skin. It’s just not possible to get that cracker-like crisp of a traditional roast chicken with all that sauce piled on top (and broiling can help get it a little crispier).
Anyway, hope that helps, and better luck next time :-)
D
I like your response to that review.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad to hear that :-)
Susan T-O
Well, add me to the list of “I used Sweet Baby Rays” reviewers :-) Made these last night, and it turned out fantastic! I had only thawed four drumsticks (two for me, two for hubby), so I just sort of eyeballed the ingredients rather than converting the measurements which worked out just fine. Loved how the sauce turned into a rich, dark, caramel-y coating. Will definitely make this again, although I’ll thaw more chicken so that I’m not left staring sadly at the gnawed bones wishing for one more piece like I did last night, LOL!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and good call making more for next time! :-)
Diana
Good…Olive oil though should only be heated to 350 or 375
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked it! You can feel free to use canola or vegetable oil if you like. However, there is a bit of misinformation floating around about the smoke point of olive oil, and whether it’s OK to cook at high temps. This article helps explain it all – for you or anyone else reading it that is concerned about this! https://www.aboutoliveoil.org/does-olive-oil-lose-its-health-benefits-when-heated
Here’s a good related excerpt: “new research is consistent with a 2004 study in which measured potentially harmful aldehydes produced when extra virgin olive oil, olive oil and canola oil were heated to 464°F. The study found that both extra virgin and regular olive oil performed better than canola oil, even though canola oil ha a higher smoke point. Furthermore, it is not likely that you will exceed the smoke point of olive oil when cooking. Stovetop cooking does not usually (exceed) 350ºF, even if you turn the burners to high and even if you turn your oven up to 450ºF, the food and oil does not reach that temperature.”
Laura Montgomery
Delicious! I didn’t broil but my family said I must next time. I will make again because it’s easy and delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
K. McLaughlin
This recipe is da’ bomb! So happy I tried it Used Sweet Baby Ray’s Original 😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks! Glad you liked it :-)
Diane
This recipe was DELICIOUS! Set off my smoke alarm baking it though. I’m guessing because of the olive oil. Worth the high pitched alarms though! I’d do it again just to have this for dinner more often! Thanks for sharing!☺️
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hah! So glad to hear it was worth the smoke alarm :-) Glad you liked it!
Kim
Turned out great. I did simmer mine on stove prior to cooking. Skin was nice and crispy. Best recipe I found so far
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Virginia Blondeaux
Hubby told me to not lose this recipe! I used Sweet Baby Rays original sauce.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it!
Kate
We enjoyed the chicken!! Next time I make it I will baste both sides each time you baste it instead of just the top. Thank you for the Recipie!😋
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Carole Humphrey
Absolutely delicious. Easy to make.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Sandy
This was my first time making BBQ chicken and it was delicious! I made it last night and it was so good my husband wants me to make it for New Years dinner. I used the G Hughes sugar free sauce. Thanks for this great recipes!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you and your husband liked it- and what a fun thing to make for New Years dinner!
Brandon
Was a little skeptical about the recioe but boy was I wrong! It was delicious! I used boneless/skinless thighs. Cooked for 20min initially, then basted per recipe. On the last two 7min bastings, i droppes the rack down one level and turned on the convection fan. Once done with all three bastings, brouked each side for about 4 or 5min to get it a bit crispy and dark. Tested wonderful, a little crisp on the bite and juicy in the middle, packed with that bbq flavor. Simple and very enjoyanle recipe!
Brandon
Forgot to mention, i used sweet baby rays original bbq sauce along with sweet honey bbq.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked the recipe!