Easy Baked BBQ Chicken is just that… EASY! The homemade BBQ sauce is simple to make, and compliments the browned, baked chicken perfectly!
Today I want to share a recipe (from my trusty old recipe box) that I’ve had for years and years, for easy baked BBQ chicken. I don’t know the source of the original recipe, because I jotted the ingredients/directions down on an index card over 20 years ago, but it is very easy! Basically, you will cook a quick and delicious BBQ sauce, lightly pan-sear chicken pieces, then douse the chicken with the sauce and put it all in the oven to bake.
This recipe is a perfect way to enjoy good BBQ chicken when it’s just too cold, rainy or snowy to get out and cook BBQ chicken on the old family grill.
The prep time is only about 20 minutes total, and then the chicken bakes for about an hour, filling your kitchen with a delicious aroma as it cooks. You can start watching a Hallmark movie, remodel your house, or play with the kids while the chicken bakes… yahoo! The end result? Absolutely DELICIOUS easy baked BBQ chicken, with minimal hands-on time! Here’s how easy it is to make:
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
What Ingredients Will I Need?
First and foremost, you will need approx. 8 pieces of chicken. Use whatever type of pieces you want (legs, thighs, breasts, skinless, skin-on, bone-in, boneless, or any combo, etc.). IT’S YOUR CHOICE.
The ingredients you will need for the easy BBQ sauce are: onion, butter, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, worcestershire sauce, water, salt and pepper.
Make The BBQ Sauce
In a medium saucepan, sauté chopped onion in melted butter. Cook for a couple minutes, stirring often, then add the rest of the ingredients (except for the chicken). Let the sauce simmer (uncovered) on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, set aside.
TIP: If you are a multi-tasker and like to save time, you can brown the chicken pieces (see below) while the sauce cooks. That way they will be done about the same time.
Lightly Brown The Chicken Pieces Before Baking
Pat each of the chicken pieces you will be using with paper towels to absorb extra moisture before cooking. Pour just enough oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom. Heat the oil on medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking.
Carefully add the chicken pieces in a single layer to the hot oil and do not move them once they hit the pan. You may find it necessary to brown the chicken in batches, but it doesn’t take long at all to brown them, so nor worries! Brown the first side for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over each piece to lightly brown the other side.
Place the lightly browned chicken pieces in a single layer in a 13″x9″ baking dish. Repeat browning process with 2nd batch, if necessary. I cooked mine in two batches. You do not want them to be fully cooked or very brown, just enough to lightly brown and to help seal the juices in the meat.
Time To Cook Easy Baked BBQ Chicken
Once all the chicken has been browned and added to the baking dish, pour all of the BBQ sauce over the chicken. Turn to make sure both sides are fully coated in that yummy BBQ sauce!
Bake the chicken (uncovered) at 350°F. for 1 hour, or until the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Once done, remove from oven. Let chicken “rest” for 3-4 minutes, and then the easy baked BBQ chicken is ready to be served.
Time To Eat Some Easy Baked BBQ Chicken!
Place chicken onto a platter or individual plates. Before serving, spoon some of the extra sauce from the baking dish over the top of each piece of chicken.
That’s it! With minimal prep, and a lot of “inactive” baking time, this meal is ready to be enjoyed. The flavor of the bbq sauce-coated chicken is wonderful, in my humble opinion. We enjoyed our meal of easy baked BBQ chicken with mashed potatoes and a spinach salad (with warm bacon dressing) on the side. It was wonderful!
I truly hope you have the opportunity to make this easy chicken recipe for those you love. It doesn’t matter what kind of chicken pieces you use (breasts, legs, thighs or a combo); the result will be delicious. Have a great day, and thank you for visiting. Come back again soon!
Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?
You can find all of my chicken recipes (there’s a LOT) in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. There are many delicious chicken recipes there, including:
- Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken
- Skillet Monterey Chicken
- Chicken Cutlets with Pecan Sauce
- Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
Interested In More Recipes?
Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so. If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.
You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks
Original Recipe Source: unknown
Easy Baked BBQ Chicken is just that... EASY! The homemade BBQ sauce is simple to make, and compliments the browned, baked chicken perfectly!
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup chopped yellow onion
- ¾ cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar , light or dark
- 2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
- 1½ Tablespoons worchestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 pieces chicken (breasts, thighs, legs)
- vegetable oil (enough to cover bottom of large skillet)
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a medium saucepan, sauté chopped onion in melted butter. Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring often, then add remaining ingredients (except for chicken). Let sauce simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, set aside. TIP: If you are a multi-tasker and like to save time, you can brown the chicken pieces (see below) while the sauce cooks. That way they will be done about the same time.
Pat each of the chicken pieces you will be using with paper towels to absorb extra moisture before cooking. Pour just enough oil into a large skillet to cover the bottom. Heat oil on medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Carefully add chicken pieces in a single layer to hot oil. Do not move them once they hit the skillet. Brown first side for 2-3 minutes, then carefully turn over each piece to lightly brown other side. Place chicken in single layer in a 13"x9" baking dish. Repeat browning process with 2nd batch, if necessary.
Pour all of the BBQ sauce over chicken. Turn to make sure all sides are fully coated with sauce before baking. Bake chicken (uncovered) at 350°F. for 1 hour, or until chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F. Once done, remove from oven. Let chicken "rest" for 3-4 minutes. then place chicken on platter or individual plates. Spoon extra sauce from baking dish over each piece, then serve. Enjoy!
***PLEASE NOTE: This caloric calculation is an estimate only, because the sizes/weights, and variety of chicken pieces (bone-in or boneless, skinless or skin-on) YOU use will be different. The caloric calculation for this recipe was made using boneless, skinless chicken breasts as a point of reference. Using thighs and legs or any combination of pieces/sizes, will result in a different caloric value per serving.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!