Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs

I love crispy baked chicken thighs. I try to cook them just about any way I can think of but my favorite is to grill them with a bit of bbq sauce. But on rainy days or those days when I don’t have access to a grill I have to improvise. And that’s how this Oven Baked BBQ Chicken was born.

My favorite Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs are super simple to make and bake up in the oven with almost no mess….thanks to a healthy coating of aluminum foil on that baking sheet. I hate scrubbing baked on barbecue sauce more than anything in the world so I totally use way more foil than is really necessary.

What I love most about this Oven Baked BBQ Chicken is that it comes together pretty easily and you can even prep the chicken ahead the night before giving the BBQ rub a chance to marinade the meat making it extra flavorful. 

Plus, chicken thighs cook up tender and juicy rarely succumbing to the occasional dryness that can result of overcooking. Even the novice chef can pull off this recipe brilliantly.

How To Cook Chicken Thighs in the Oven

This barbecue chicken recipe is so simple to make and I love that I can avoid the unavoidable flare ups you get when grilling chicken thighs over a flame. My kids HATE the burned, charred barbecue sauce so Oven Baked BBQ Chicken is always a hit.

1. Coat the chicken thighs with your favorite BBQ rub….I like this Homemade BBQ Rub, it’s so flavorful and EASY! We also use this Chicken Wing Seasoning for a little extra heat.
2. Allow the chicken to sit for 15 minutes or up to 24 hours (refrigerated) to allow the rub to marinade the meat just a bit.
3. Arrange the chicken thighs, skin side down, on a baking sheet lined with foil.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Roast the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes. 
6. Baste the chicken with your favorite BBQ Sauce…..we use THIS Homemade BBQ sauce…..flip the chicken skin side up.
7. Baste the top of the chicken and roast for an additional 25-30 minute or until an internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. 
8. Turn the broiler on high and brush the chicken with more sauce. Broil the chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes until the BBQ sauce begins to caramelize and char a little bit.
9. Serve immediately with additional sauce, if desired.

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Aluminum Foil Substitutions

If you’re not a fan of aluminum foil, as I know some of you are not, you can line your baking sheet with parchment. Having a barrier in between your BBQ Chicken Thighs and the baking sheet is imperative if you want to avoid having sticky, baked on BBQ sauce on your baking sheet.

It’s always my most hated task trying to clean a baking sheet that wasn’t lined with foil or parchment….and I may have even tossed a few in the trash to avoid it at all costs.

How To Make BBQ Chicken On The Grill

You certainly CAN make these BBQ Chicken Thighs on the grill using a low and slow grilling method. The same tips apply in that you want to start cooking the chicken thighs well before you baste with the barbecue sauce…especially on the grill.

The sugars in the barbecue sauce are what tend to char and burn to a crisp when grilled leaving you with black, crusty chicken thighs on the outside and raw, nasty, undercooked chicken on the inside.

How to Grill BBQ Chicken Thighs

1. Coat the chicken thighs with your favorite BBQ rub.
2. Preheat a grill to 275-300 degrees.
3. Cook the chicken thighs skin side down for 15-20 minutes.
4. Flip the chicken thighs and cook for an additional 20-25 minutes.
5. Lightly baste the chicken all over with the barbecue sauce and continue cooking the chicken thighs for another 10 minutes.
6. Baste the chicken with more sauce and flip. 
7. Continue cooking the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

The grilling method is definitely a longer process to ensure you chicken is cooked through and that’s why I MUCH prefer making BBQ chicken thighs in the oven. You can, literally, go take care of your side dishes or clean up the kitchen without worrying about grill flare ups or running out of propane.

What To Serve With BBQ Chicken

Our favorite side dishes to serve alongside Oven Baked BBQ Chicken are:

• Easy Classic Coleslaw
• Best EVER Baked Beans
• The Very Best Creamy Cucumber Salad
• Chopped Greek Pasta Salad
• Easy Scalloped Potatoes
• Super Easy Mac and Cheese

We, seriously, eat this Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thigh recipe several times a month. It’s the simplest way to pack a ton of flavor into oven baked chicken without adding a boatload of calories….or steps. 

It’s like our own indoor barbecue party all year long…..so, next time your backyard picnic gets rained out just break out the baking sheet and make your own barbecue chicken in the oven!

More Easy BBQ Recipes

• Barbecue Beef Brisket Sundaes
• BBQ Chicken Breasts
• Barbecue Pork Rib Tacos
• Spicy Grilled BBQ Ribs
• BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad
• The Very Best BBQ Chicken
• BBQ Chicken Sliders
• Blueberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce