Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

This oven-baked BBQ chicken is roasted to perfection, resulting in tender, juicy meat with a smoky, caramelized barbecue glaze. It’s an easy, fuss-free recipe that brings bold, classic BBQ flavors to your dinner table with minimal effort.

Why This Recipe Works

Barbecue Flavors for All Seasons: If you didn’t think delicious BBQ chicken could happen year-round (or without a grill), you’re wrong! With this foolproof recipe in hand, you can have a perfectly smoky, sticky, sweet barbecue sauced chicken baked in your oven anytime. While I am an avid griller and smoker (you can see this guide to grilling chicken here for example), sometimes the cold weather months mean staying inside and warming up the kitchen instead. This recipe is amazing for a whole chicken (with skin and bones), but is very versatile as well to use on any individual cut as well.

Crispy & Flavorful: The BBQ dry rub in this oven-baked BBQ chicken really locks in flavor, and the baking powder will help to dry the skin and make it extra crispy in the oven! This is a simple yet effective trick that makes a big difference. Plus, baking the chicken at a high temperature ensures that it cooks evenly, and saucing it toward the end of the cooking process prevents burning while allowing the BBQ sauce to caramelize beautifully.

Supplies Needed

• Baking Sheet
• Cooling Rack
• Paper Towels
• Basting Brush
• Aluminum Foil
• Meat Thermometer

Ingredients

All-Purpose BBQ Dry Rub: This homemade BBQ rub packs a punch, bringing in layers of smokiness, sweetness, and a little heat. Feel free to use a store-bought rub or your favorite homemade blend, instead!

Baking Powder: This is the secret ingredient for crispy skin! It helps to draw the moisture out, making the skin crispier without frying or grilling.

Whole Chicken: A whole chicken ensures variety—juicy thighs, tender breasts, and crispy wings. Plus, it is budget friendly! If you prefer, you can also use just thighs, drumsticks, or boneless chicken pieces.

BBQ Sauce: Choose your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce, or try some of my homemade favorites like honey chipotle BBQ sauce, Memphis BBQ sauce, or maple bourbon BBQ sauce!

How to Make Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

Prep the Chicken

• Pat Dry: Remove your split chicken pieces from the packaging. Use paper towels to pat the chicken dry.
• Dry Out & Season Accordingly: If you plan ahead, you can place the chicken on a baking sheet uncovered in your fridge. The air will naturally help dry out the exposed skin and won’t impact your finished product. Then, coat the chicken with the BBQ dry rub (no need for baking powder) before baking. If you’re short on time, add the dry rub ingredients and baking powder together and coat the chicken pieces all over. Place back in the fridge for up to 2 hours (for best results).
• Place on Prepared Sheet Pan: Place foil on a baking sheet and a cooling rack over it. Place each piece of chicken on the rack and into a 425 F. preheated oven. *NOTE- If you’re using skinless, boneless chicken then bake at 375 F. *

Bake

1. Bake: Bake for about 45-60 minutes. You want your thickest piece to reach an internal temperature of 155 F. before saucing (saucing too early could cause it to burn).
2. Add Sauce: Sauce all sides of your chicken and allow it to bake another 10-15 minutes, and sauce again and continue baking until it reaches 165 F.
3. Serve & Enjoy: Remove and serve with additional sauce family style on a platter and enjoy!

Tips for Crispy Oven Baked Chicken

• For the crispiest skin, remove as much moisture from the chicken pieces as possible by patting it dry with a paper towel. Moisture creates steam and prevents browning the meat.
• If you have the time, let the chicken sit on a baking sheet uncovered in the fridge overnight if possible. This will dry out the skin naturally. If you don’t have the time, use baking powder or cornstarch in your rub to help absorb excess moisture and aid in drying out the skin.
• Use a cooling rack over a baking sheet when roasting. Elevating the chicken allows air to flow and any natural juices to prevent the meat from steaming while baking.

Frequently Asked Questions

What temperature should you bake BBQ chicken at?

When you’re cooking a whole bird (even if the pieces are split) the difference in thickness will require longer baking times. I try to balance this with finding a great method for getting crispy skin as well.

Bake your seasoned BBQ chicken at a higher temperature of 425 F. in a fully preheated oven. I like a higher temperature to render the fat with skin on the chicken without drying it out.

If you are cooking smaller pieces only (like a thigh or drumstick) or you are cooking a boneless, skinless chicken, reduce the cooking temperature to 375 F. instead.

When do you put BBQ sauce on your chicken when baking?

Place your chicken pieces on the cooling rack and bake for about 45 minutes and check your baked BBQ chicken breast (usually the thickest piece) for an internal temperature to reach about 155F. before saucing. Check all your pieces to be safe!

Once they hit that 155 F. mark, you can begin to sauce your baked barbecue chicken. Make sure to flip the chicken and sauce the bottoms as well as the skin over the top.

I usually do this around the last 30 minutes of baking. Sauce once and let it cook for about 15 minutes and then sauce again. While total cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken, my whole pieces take around 60-75 minutes or until it reaches a final temperature of 165 F.

Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this BBQ chicken recipe on a platter family style with these delicious crispy roasted potatoes (they can cook at the same time as the chicken which is great). I also love other classic BBQ sides like smoked corn on the cob, deli potato salad, grilled broccoli salad, or smoked macaroni and cheese!

How to Store Baked BBQ Chicken

Store leftovers for up to a week in the fridge. Reheat in a 350 F. oven until heated through as desired or shred the chicken leftovers and make a BBQ sandwich, wrap, or add to mixed veggies for a repurposed meal!

More Recipes to Try

• Smoked Beer Can Chicken
• Blackened Chicken Recipe
• Smoked Chicken Legs
• Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
• Smoked Pulled BBQ Chicken