This baked bbq chicken is tender, juicy, and finger-licking good. Trust me, BBQ chicken can’t get much better than this, which is why I’m so excited to share this recipe with yall! These babies are seasoned to perfection and baked in broth & honey BBQ sauce. They’re super delicious, simple, and easy to make! There’s nothing “fancy” about these BBQ thighs, but they’re definitely a must-try so you got to give this recipe a try!
I’ve been asked by so many of my subscribers to create a recipe for baked bbq chicken thighs! And after weeks of trying to find the time to do it, I finally delivered on my promise.
I use to make this baked bbq chicken this exact way whenever my nana would request me to make her some. She was mind blown by how good it was when she tried it for the first time.
I think it was the flavor from the onions and peppers and the herbs I used that she was unique to her and that she loved so much. You all know how much I rant and rave about my great-grandma Alice Mae.
I often speak on how much I’ve learned form her in the kitchen and how great of a cook she was. So for her to brag about my baked bbq chicken the way she did felt good, because she don’t get that excited about food often. She’s a tough critic.
Cooking utensils you’ll need:
- Casserole Dish: You’re going to need a casserole dish to bake the bbq chicken in.
- Measuring Cups: Use a measuring cup to accurately measure the bbq sauce.
- Measuring Spoons: Measuring spoons are great for getting an accurate measure of the seasonings.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Meat: Chicken Thighs
- Vegetable add-ins: Onions and Green peppers
- Liquids: Chicken Broth and Liquid Smoke
- Fat: Butter
- Seasonings: Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Italian seasoning, Thyme, and Black Pepper
- Condiments: Honey BBQ sauce
The seasonings
I use a variety of seasonings to ensure the chicken is packed with flavor. The most important seasoning is the Italian seasoning because it has basically every herbal seasoning in it. The Italian and the thyme actually.
These are the two seasonings that took the chicken over the top and that gives it a different unique flavor from your typical baked bbq chicken.
Cooking time and temperature
The key to tender juicy baked bbq chicken is cooking it at the right temperature for the right amount of time. Some folk think the longer you cook it the more tender it gets but cooking it too long can dry the chicken out resulting in chewy distateful chicken.
I typically bake my chicken for 2 hours at 350 degrees and I typically dont cover it with aluminum foil but it doesn’t hurt too if you want to get it extra tender. Covering it is completely unnecessary because chicken thighs are already a pretty tender meat.
It’s not tough like turkey and steak which requires the assistance of aluminum foil for tenderness.
Vegetable Add-ins
Now, you may look at the ingredients and wonder why I add green peppers and onions to my chicken. And believe it or not, it’s just something I did one day when I was baking chicken to avoid wasting them.
I was making dinner and had a little bit of onions and peppers left over from the potato salad I had just made. There was so little of them left I just decided to throw em in the baking dish with the chicken instead of throwing them away.
Once I tasted the chicken, I thought the onions and peppers added a nice flavor to it I couldn’t resist. And so that was all she wrote! I’ve been adding onions and peppers to my baked chicken ever since.
The onions and peppers are optional though so you can omit it if you want. Just try it once for me though. My nana loved my baked bbq chicken, and the first time I made it for her she couldn’t stop asking what I put it in.
She had never taste bbq chicken that taste the way my baked bbq chicken do. I think the seasonings I use and most importantly, the green peppers and onions is the unique flavor rarely found in bbq chicken that she liked so much.
Anyway, that confirmed that I made the right decision deciding to add them to the recipe. By the way, I use green bell peppers, and only green, and yellow onions and I dont use much.
BBQ Sauce
I like to use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce because of its thickness, but feel free to use your favorite store-bought sauce or homemade BBQ. No matter the brand, I like to go with honey or sweet n spicy.
Why not original BBQ sauce? Listen, you can’t go wrong with original BBQ sauce and what kind of BBQ sauce you use is totally up to you. Original bbq sauce is the best option if you’re making this for a big gathering.
But the key to good food is layering it with different flavors. And since sweet n spicy BBQ consists of 2 flavors that are perfectly made for each other, it’s the best choice of BBQ sauce to me. But again, feel free to use whatever kind you like best.
If you can’t find any honey bbq sauce, but have some original bbq sauce on hand, just combine the bbq sauce with 1/4 cup of honey and stir it in together and brush it over the chicken once it’s almost done.
When to add the BBQ sauce
Some people like to bake the chicken in bbq sauce because they think doing so will allow the chicken to absorb the bbq sauce. I use to do this myself because my aunt Beverely is one of those people.
She would poke holes in her chicken, and place it in the baking dish then smother the chicken while raw and uncooked with BBQ sauce and let it cook until done. Here’s why I prefer to add the bbq sauce last.
- I may want to brown my chicken in the broiler for a few minutes and dont want to burn the bbq sauce.
- I find that baking the BBQ sauce for 2 hours results in an almost burnt-tasting BBQ sauce that takes away from the flavor.
- I add the bbq sauce last and let it bake for 20-30 minutes to thicken the bbq sauce and help it stick
How to clean chicken
There’s two steps to the cleaning process. First thing we’re going to do is remove the excess fat and skin and afterwards, soak the chicken in one of the cleaning solutions below.Â
Removing the excess skin and fat
- Lift the skin and remove as much of the yellow fat on the side of the thighs as possible with a sharp knife.
- You’re also going to remove the clear slime under the skin as well. Remove all of the clear slime
- Trim or cut off some of the fat but typically you keep most of it. Just remove the any excess dangling skin. The fat helps to keep the chicken moist.
Cleaning Solutions
- Salt water: You can soak the chicken in salt water for 20-30 minutes. Sort of scrub the chicken with your hands and then rinse well. This is a popular cleaning solution used here in the states. Dont soak the chicken in the salt water for too long because it will brine the chicken; just 20-30 tops!
- Vinegar water: Vinegar water is another popular cleaning solution commonly used to clean vegetables and meat.
- Lemon/Lime water: This combination is popular in the Caribbean. This solution can also help to lighten the chicken, so this is a great option if you have old chicken that is a little grey and not as pink in color.
Tips for best results:
Serving suggestions:
- Soul Food Green Beans, Delicious Collard Greens, and Sweet Buttery Corn: These are the perfect vegetable dishes to go with BBQ chicken. All vegetables taste great with chicken but these are some of my favorite vegetable recipes.
- Southern Potato Salad and Deli-Style Macaroni Salad: What about a salad for a side dish? No salad is better served with bbq chicken than Potato and Macaroni salad. If you want an healthier option for salad, check out my Zesty Italian Pasta Salad.
Storage and reheating
- How to store it: Sit the chicken in a dish similar to a Tupperware bowl and seal it tightly with a lid, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil, then store it in the refrigerator.
- How to freeze it: To preserve chicken for a long time, sit in the freezer but sit in a ziploc bag and make sure it’s tightly sealed to prevent freezer burn.
- How to reheat: To reheat chicken, you can either reheat it in the microwave, or you can place it in a casserole dish and bake it in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long does the chicken last? It can last up to 5-7 days if left in the refrigerator and properly sealed but I always recommend eating food within 3 days because that’s when it taste best.
- How to double the recipe? To double the recipe, just double all the ingredients and cook it the same.
But enough with the yapping, give this BBQ chicken a shot and let me know how ya like it. If my nana enjoyed it I know for sure yall will. Also, subscribe to receive notifications everytime I post a new recipe.
For updates on everything Philly Jay Cooking, follow me on social media by clicking the following links: Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
Enjoy, later!
PBJ~
Print
Baked BBQ Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 40 Mins
- Cook Time: 2Hr 5 Mins
- Total Time: 2 Hr 45 Mins
- Yield: 5
- Category: BBQ
- Cuisine: American
Description
Tender, juicy, baked chicken thighs, seasoned to perfection and cooked in BBQ sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs Chicken Thighs
- 1 Cup Honey BBQ Sauce
- 4 Tsps Butter
- 1/4 Cup Green Peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1/4 Cup Onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 Tsps Hickory Liquid Smoke (optional)
- 1–1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Onion PowderÂ
- 1/2 Tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 Tsp Thyme
Instructions
- Combine the liquid hickory smoke and BBQ sauce in a small bowl.
- Coarsely chop the onions & peppers.
- Cleaning the chicken: Remove as much fat as possible and the excess skin and clear slime under it, then place the chicken in a baking dish
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Season the chicken and add the chicken and the chopped onions and peppers to a casserole dish.
- Add in the butter and water then place the chicken in the oven.Â
- Bake for 1 hour, then add in the bbq sauce.Â
- Bake for 30 more minutes then remove.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
by 
26 thoughts on “Delicious Easy Baked BBQ Chicken Recipe”
Do you cover this as i cooks?
You don’t need to.
This is now my oven bbq chicken recipe, Thanks Jay! I always wonder if I should cover with foil?
Hi Jay,
I have an Homemade BBQ recipe that you blessed us with some years ago.
It was so delicious. I can’t seem to find it on your website anymore.
Are you no longer offering that recipe. If so, please reconsider.
Sincerely,
A big fan.
Is there anyway to clear up video on baking for 1 or 2 hours ? Kind of confusing .! Also sent you a email phillyboyjay much love!
It’s 2 hours
It stated on the recipe to cook for 2 hours, but in the video it says 1 hour could you please tell me which is correct?
Bake it for 2 hours.
Kids and hubby really enjoyed, the recipes never disappoint
I just made this for dinner and I will never make oven baked chicken any different after this! Holy smokes it was delicious. 10/10
The best BBQ chicken you can make at home. This is a fav at my house.
Thanks, Sharise!!! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Great recipe Jay keep them coming
Two Thumbs up!!! This is a keeper.
It good
Thanks Guys, Your Recipe Was Too Fantastic. Me and My Family Loved it. I Will Share your Rrecipe with my friends. Hope they will love it too.
Thanks for the secret to oven baked bbq, I.e. the broiler T the end.
I see it says 1 cup of BBQ sauce, yet you are using 1 cup on the bottom, 1 cup on the top and 1/2 when broiling. Not sure what’s w
I’m confused about what is “Tsp” and “Tsps”. Could you please explain? I want to do this recipe right the first time. Thanks
Singular and plural—ie; 1 tsp vs 2 tsps
This recipe is so easy to make and so delicious to eat! I have made it twice. I love all of your receipes.
Hello, I tried this recipe very very good. I Rate it a 5 and over.
Thank so much!
This is delicious and so easy to follow! This is the 2nd recipe of yours I have tried I also made the sheperd pie. It’s one of my favorites!! Made it for a party and so many people wanted the recipe. Cant wait to continue to explore your recipes. My taste buds and tummy are very happy.
Loved this recipe. I always find your recipe’s easy to follow. I made your Sheperds pie last night, although I must point out that as you used ground beef, it was actually a cottage pie, as sheperds pie is made with ground lamb.
Can I also teach you how to pronounce Worcestershire (as in Worcestershire sauce)?
I live in Worcestershire England, and we simply pronounce it “WOOSTER-SHEER”… So, next time I watch one of your video’s with a dish requiring Worcestershire sauce, I expect you to know how to pronounce it Lol.
It’s called an accent. Americans and British pronounce words differently. Its why non-English foreigner get to choose American English or British English. It a culture thing.
I made this recipe for my boyfriend for his birthday! It was deliciously tender and flavorful! Thank you for another delicious recipe.