Description
Enjoy tender and flavorful oven-baked BBQ chicken coated in a quick homemade barbecue sauce made from pantry staples. This easy recipe combines chicken thighs, drumsticks, or wings with a tangy, sweet, and smoky sauce that caramelizes beautifully under the broiler for a perfect crisp skin. Ready in just about an hour, it’s an ideal weeknight dinner or crowd-pleasing meal for family and friends.
Ingredients
Scale
Barbecue Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup or Australian/UK tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1 cup water
Chicken
- 1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on), drumsticks, or wings
Garnish
- Fresh parsley, chives or finely chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) to prepare for baking the chicken.
- Prepare Sauce: In a ceramic or glass baking dish, mix together the ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and water until well combined.
- Coat Chicken: Add the chicken pieces to the sauce in the baking dish and turn them to coat thoroughly with the sauce. Arrange the chicken skin side down.
- Initial Bake: Bake the chicken in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Turn & Sauce: Remove the baking dish from the oven, turn the chicken pieces over, and spoon some more sauce over them to keep them moist and flavorful.
- Second Bake: Return the dish to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
- Drain Fat: Optional step: tilt the pan and spoon or drain off any excess fat that has accumulated.
- Broil to Finish: Switch your oven setting to broiler/grill on high. Generously spoon sauce over the chicken and place the dish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize the sauce and crisp the skin. Watch closely to avoid burning.
- Garnish & Serve: Remove the chicken from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley, chives, or green onions before serving.
Notes
- You can use any combination of chicken thighs, drumsticks, or wings based on your preference.
- Watching the chicken closely under the broiler is essential to prevent burning.
- For a spicier sauce, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika.
- Leftover chicken and sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces help keep the meat moist and flavorful during baking.
