Looking for a delicious chicken dish that is also straightforward in both taste and execution? Then this recipe for oven baked BBQ chicken is perfect.
This spin on barbecue chicken is a bit different. It doesn't use a traditional BBQ sauce. Rather, the ingredients that are mixed together form more of a glaze that cooks up so nicely in the oven.
The simplicity of this dish allows the flavor to really shine through. It pairs well with almost any other sides, whether they are traditional barbecue sides or something else. It's especially good with seasoned mashed potatoes or baker's potatoes.
This was inspired by the chicken my mom served us when we were children. She still makes it, but uses boneless chicken breast meat. I prefer the bone-in chicken, but feel free to try it either way!
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🍲 Ingredients
- whole chicken
- ketchup
- vinegar
- lemon juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- butter or margarine
- water
- salt
- dry mustard
- chili powder
- paprika
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪 Instructions
Cut chicken into pieces. (Need to learn how? Here is a great resource from McCormick's.)
In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients: ketchup, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, butter, salt, mustard, chili powder, paprika, and water.
Arrange chicken pieces in a glass baking dish, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover chicken with a lid or tin foil.
Cook for 15 minutes at 500 degrees, and then for another hour and a half at 350 degrees.
Hint: After cooking, if you have leftover sauce, it is delicious over white rice!
📖 Variations
As I mentioned, my mom always makes this with boneless chicken breast meat. Boneless thighs would work too.
You could also increase the heat a bit by adding red chili pepper flakes to the sauce before pouring over the chicken.
🍽️ Equipment
To cut up the chicken, you'll need a cutting board and a strong pair of kitchen shears. A small bowl is needed to mix together the sauce. Finally, for cooking, you'll need an oven-safe baking dish with a lid. If you don't have a lid, aluminum foil works fine too. If your chicken is too tall, fold a piece of foil in half and "tent" it over the meat. It doesn't need to be fully sealed.
🔳 Storage
Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
❓ FAQ
For bone-in chicken, this cooks for a total of 1 hour and 45 minutes. You should test the temperature of your chicken by using a kitchen thermometer and placing it close to the bone in several areas. Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees for safety.
Add the sauce before you cook the chicken. This helps the meat soak up some of the flavor, and also gives it a nice caramelization, helping the sauce to stick to the meat.
Make sure to cover the chicken with a lid or with tin foil while cooking. This will keep it from drying out.
Yes, you can, but it's not necessary for this dish. The longer cooking time gives it plenty of chances to soak up the delicious flavor.
This is a great question, because, at least here in the States, we see it written almost every way imaginable. Both barbecue and barbeque are accepted spellings, with Bar-B-Que and BBQ being common shortened, abbreviated forms.
In England, it's almost always spelled with a C, so barbecue is appropriate.
And, if you didn't already know, the word originally comes from the Spanish word barbacoa, which you may have seen in other recipes or at a restaurant. For more on the history and regional differences, see this post at Daily Writing Tips.
📋 Recipe
Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken
Equipment
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Pair of kitchen shears
- 1 Glass dish with lid, or use foil
- 1 Sheet aluminum foil, if your dish doesn't have a lid
- 1 small bowl
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500° Fahrenheit
- Wash chicken, cut into 8 pieces, and arrange in a baking dish
- Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl
- Pour sauce over chicken. Cover dish with lid or aluminum foil, tented if necessary
- Cook for 15 minutes at 500°
- Turn heat down to 350° and cook for another hour and a half
- Remove from oven, and check temperature with a meat thermometer to insure chicken is at least 165° throughout
Nutrition
🦺 Food safety
To keep your family healthy and safe, consider the following guidelines.
- Cook the chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
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