Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken
OK, so this is cheating. Well, sort of. This may not be real barbecue, but it is one of my favorite ways to make chicken legs: Indoors. In the oven. Seared, then smothered in hot, spicy sauce and slow baked.
Let’s face it: Nothing can replace good, outdoor barbecue. But, sometimes you just don’t feel like firing up the grill. (Or, sometimes you do, and you’re out of propane, or it’s pouring cats and dogs, etc…) This is a great way to approximate some of that barbecue-y goodness indoors.
Chicken leg quarters are a great way to feed a crowd on a budget. They’re generally pretty inexpensive. (Dinner for two for $2.94? Um, yes please!)
And because they’re fairly fatty in comparison to chicken breast, they’re really forgiving to cook. It takes a lot to dry a chicken leg out.
In terms of technique, I seared the leg quarters to render off some fat—a move which gives your bird extra flavor, and helps the skin crisp up in the oven.
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken: A note on barbecue sauce
For barbecue sauce, you can make your own, or use your favorite store bought sauce. My favorite sauce du jour is Fighting Cock Kentucky Bourbon BBQ Sauce.
It’s fairly thin, but is packed with great hot and spicy flavor. And I’ll admit it: I’m a sucker for a good label.
Depending on the size of your chicken legs and the consistency of your bbq sauce, you may need more or less than 3/4 of a cup.
I made this to serve two, but you can easily use this same method to feed a roomful of friends.
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken
4 chicken leg quarters
kosher salt
spray canola oil
3/4 – 1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Serves 2
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken: Do a little prep
Line a sheet pan with foil. Set a rack in the pan. Set aside while you sear the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Grab your chicken leg quarters.
Give them a rinse and pat them dry.
Sprinkle with a little kosher salt.
Set a nonstick pan on the stove over high heat and spray with a little canola oil. Let it heat up for a minute or two.
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken: Sear the chicken legs
When the pan is hot, drop in a few of the chicken leg quarters, skin-side down. You don’t want to crowd the pan (or your chicken will steam, not sear), so do this in a few batches.
My chicken leg quarters were pretty big, so I could only fit two at a time in my 12-inch frying pan.
Cook them on high like this for a few minutes, until the skin is nice and brown, like this. You’re going to make a little smoke. That’s just fine.
When the skin is browned, transfer the chicken to your prepared pan. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. (I only brown the skin side. I find that intense high heat on the skinless underside can dry the meat out a little.)
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken: Brush the chicken with sauce
When all your chicken is browned, you’re ready to coat it in barbecue sauce. Put the sauce in a medium-sized bowl so it’s easier to work with.
Using a brush, paint each piece of chicken on all sides with barbecue sauce.
Oven-Baked BBQ Chicken: Bake for 15 minutes, then brush with more sauce
When each piece of chicken is coated, pop the pan into your preheated 375 degree oven. Bake like this for 15 minutes.
After about 15 minutes, yank the pan out of the oven. Your chicken should look about like this. (The color will vary based on the sauce you use and how much sugar is in it…the more sugar, the darker it will likely be.)
Brush with the remaining barbecue sauce, covering each piece on all sides again.
When the chicken is coated again, pop the pan back into the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes more, until they’re cooked through completely. (Your chicken should be in the oven for a total of 45-50 minutes.)
After 30-35 minutes, they should have a nice crust. If you’re a meat thermometer type, you want a reading of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken (without touching a bone).
Transfer to a serving platter.
Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Serve and enjoy!
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52 Comments
oooh this looks so good.
yummy bbq chicken
I’ve been trying to find a way of how to make bbq dishes using a oven. This is a great tutorial!
This chicken is just glistening with BBQ sauce goodness!! Delicious!
I love bbq chicken! That looks great, I want to try out that sauc. I don’t care what the purists say, you can make bbq in an oven. I make pulled pork and ribs in the oven and anyone who says it’s not real… well, they don’t get any.
Yay! Baked BBQ chicken is one of my mostest favoritest things. I like how you sear it before popping it in the oven to keep all those lovely juices inside. Just beautiful.
I love oven baked chicken so much better than when it is done on the grill. This looks so good!
Looks so delectable! I think I’ll try making this for some houseguests visiting in a few days. That yummy cornbread you posted last week might go well with it, too!
To heck with breakfast food, I’ll take some of this right now!
Looks good, but I’m gonna go purist here.
You cannot do real BBQ with propane, much less an oven.
You can slow roast a picnic shoulder, but you cannot cold smoke it in the oven (without a smoker box and a large amount of tinfoil) or on a propane grill (again, without a smoke box).
Now, I do ribs in the oven. I coat them with BBQ rub and they are mighty tasty. But they aren’t BBQ with an actual piece of wood being smoked.
I make chicken legs in the winter months in the over and use a store bought barbeque sauce and add my own seasoning to it…also I put in the bottled smoke or mosquite it is delicous and you wouldn’t even know it wasn’t done on the barq.frying it first to brown it and draining the fat off makes it crispy when taken out of the oven. it’s delicous(: it’s all in the seasoning you add I think.
The browning first definitely adds texture and a ton of flavor. I love trying this with different sauces.
Cheers!
+Jessie
Good stuff don’t believe people.Black folks been makin bbq chicken in the oven 4 years well thats the 1st way i had it
So true tae! lmbo
Hi Jessie,
My god that chicken looks good, I can just imagine the spicy sweetness of that babrbecue sauce, and the crispy skin and the juicy meat. The hind quarter is by far my favourite part of the bird, I never get why people want a dry breast!
But jessie, I live in Australia and our chicken is cheap but not _that_ cheap. I am shocked. Your chicken is about half what our factory farmed chickens cost. I don’t know how to say this without being a wet blanket but do you know why your chicken is so cheap?
I love to eat meat, it is delicious and practical and can be a cheap way to feed your family and friends but lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how my meat gets to my supermarket and who subsidises the cost of my cheap meat.
b
Hi Billie! Thanks so much (and thanks for stopping by)! I’m with you…I like the legs, too.
As for how cheap our chicken is, we go to a small, local butcher here. Their prices are super duper low, I think mainly because it’s a family-run business and their operating costs are fairly low. They have a bustling little business, and turn over their stock really quickly.
I will tell you that most other places in Boston do charge a good deal more for most meat. For example, our butcher regularly sells boneless, skinless chicken breast for about $1.99/lb. and most larger grocery stores charge $3.99/lb…or more, even.
Cheers and thanks again!
+Jessie
I’ve tried a few oven BBQ chicken recipes and this is the best. It’s easy and tasty. I used open pit my first time cooking this but am now looking for a more mild recipe for the tender palate of my five-year old. Any suggestions?
I have an 8 year old daughter who LOVES BBQ chicken legs & wings. Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce is what I use 4 her. She’s been eating BBQ since she was knee high on her chicken nuggets!!!!
Hi that was some Good stuff Thanks
Thanks guys, good info.
Wow, yum. I’ve read just two posts and I’m totally hooked on your site. Excellent pictures.
I tried out your recipe and they turned out sooo good! Everyone loved it! Thanks so much! I bought some wings yesterday and I’m thinking about trying out the same recipe on those. Have you ever tried that? Think it will work out well? Please let me know. Thanks again!
Oh, fabulous! So glad you liked it!
I think it would be fabulous with wings. Just keep an eye on the cooking time. They’ll need to be in the oven for less time, because they’re smaller. Let me know how it goes!
+Jessie
Mmm, I think I’m going to try this tonight!
Jessie, I know I have seen in the past countless times to pre-sear beef, but I guess I never thought of doing it before baking chicken. I always just prepared it like you did for the Butter Chicken. I have to try the pre-searing first tonight!
Oh, let me know how you like it! Searing almost any kind of meat really does add a lot of flavor.
Cheers!
+Jessie
This is a great way to cook chicken for a bunch of people!
Last year I had 30 people over for a meal and I basicaly followd this method except I did my searing on the grill with a quick coat of sause and then finished it off in the oven. Like I said with 30 people there just was not enough room to cok everything and have the food nice and hot for people to eat.
Great pictures, even better angles then some cooking shows I have seen.
I cannot wait to have people over this weekend and make some chicken again.
Oh gosh, thanks so much, Todd! (And thanks for stopping by!) You’re right on–this is a great way to feed a bunch of hungry people.
Cheers!
+Jessie
hi jessie…
down in south louisiana we love bbq.. i am new in the kitchen, and i appreciate this delicious recipe you posted.
if you use breasts instead of leg quarters, how long should you bake for in the oven?
please advise.
xoxo
christina
I am making this tonight with Friend rice…I’ll suprise my husaband
This is my new favorite BBQ chicken recipe! I love using the Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce-the chicken just melts in your mouth!!
This is the best I just bought 4 quarters for $2.12
Also my favorite part.. I think I will marinate in that smoke rub to give it more of an outdoor taste.. Thanks I would never have thought of searing it… 
So glad you like it! Seriously chicken leg quarters are the best thing ever. A smokey rub sounds great.
Cheers!
+Jessie
HOLY COW–or should I say CHICKEN?? Guess who just accessed your site for the first time is a long, long time??
Me!!
And I’m so glad to be back just in time for this mouth watering chicken! Great timing, too, because it’s waaayyy toooo ccooollldddd to ggrrriilllll!
Hehehehehehe
It’s definitely too cold to grill right now. At least for me. Let me know how you like it!
+Jessie
I did a google search for oven baked BBQ chicken, and your site was second on the list. I was going to go directly to food network, but OMG, I am glad i landed here, your PHOTOS were fantastic, and you made it a recipe that was easy to follow. I made this last night and your technique was perfect. I bought leg quarters and the meat store cut them in half, it looked like more meat
Thank you so much….your site is going into my favorites!
Just waiting for my BBQ chicken to come out of the oven. Oooh, it smells SO good. I’m not a cook and this is a big deal for me to do for my husband. He’s gonna love it! Cooking Au Gratin potatoes with it. Nummy!
Hi Jessie,
This recipe looks really great. But if I use chicken breasts instead, what should the time on the stove and in the oven be? Last time I put it on the stove then in the oven I overcooked my chicken! Let me know! thanks.
AMAZING recipe! better than any chicken I’ve ever had on the bbq! thank you sooooooo much!!!!
This was a great recipe and the pictures were so hopeful. Definitely will be stopping back by for more ideas!
thank you for this recipe. it’s perfect and so delicious!
Thanks for this recipe. I will be making dinner this weekend and BBQ chicken popped into mind. Sweet, tangy and spicy goodness! I can’t wait to try this recipe. Will have to look for that cornbread recipe that someone said you posted.
Cheers!
I made this the other night and it was delicious! And very easy to make. I wish I would have had time to pair it with the Ulitmate Mac and Cheese… Thank you so much for all the pictures. Made this very easy!
YUMMY!!!!!!!! I saved to FAVORITES so that I can try it later. THANKS!
I am looking for a baked barbecue chicken recipe to use for a casual wedding reception. But, I am thinking i will have to make the chicken 1` day ahead. This recipe looks great, do you know how it is warmed over the next day?
I realize I might answer too late, but here it goes anyhow…we made a large batch of these one week, had leftovers that we used for dinner two more times and they heated up wonderfully both times. I did add some moisture, some more sauce and water mixed together, had the chicken in a baking dish and pored the sauce ontop, wrapped tightly with foil and wow, just as good as the first day.
I just made this tonight, with breasts and drumsticks. It came out pretty good. This is my first time ever making anything with BBQ sauce and we don’t own a grill. The skin wasn’t as crispy as I like it, but maybe it’s because I didn’t brown the meat enough. Also, the chicken was very watery after I was done cooking. Why is this? The sauce I used is very thick.
Wow!! Wonderful and delicious!! I will definitely be keeping this as a regular recipe for my family. I loved the step by step pics. I realized that I need to brown the meat more, some pieces were not as crispy as others (I also made 18 leg quarters). Thank you for a great recipe!! Yummy…
Hmm. Looks good. Will try variation with skinless chicken breasts
I made this last week and my family loved it, so I am making it tonight again..
Thank you so much for the play by play pictures and great idea.
Your teaching technique is excellent! I really like how you broke this down into stages and showed a picture for each action. Well done. I’m going to try this tonight!
I made this for dinner tonight. First time cooking anything let alone baked bbq chicken.
It was long and a bit time consuming but the result was great.
I was praised by the food critic in the house.
Searing really cuts down on the overall cooking time.
My parents usually have the chicken in the over for maybe 2 hrs. (I might be exaggerating but it felt that long). These were done relatively quickly and before it reached the 50 minute mark the kitchen suddenly smelled like bbq chicken.
I love it and thnaks again.
Your step by step instructions really saved me.
I’m def making these again.