You're going to love this simple baked bbq chicken thighs recipe. Made on a single sheet pan, you get crispy skin, juicy meat, and all of your favorite barbecue flavors in every bite.
Make the most out of your bone in skin on chicken thighs by turning them into a meal worth repeating over and over again.
We love chicken thighs, and recipes like this one and our Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs are often on the menu. With so many barbecue sauces to try, including Homemade Barbecue Sauce, we never have to worry about running out of flavor options!
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple and easy. Using simple and basic pantry staple seasonings, we get a flavorful chicken as it bakes, and then brushing the sauce on helps to seal it all in and elevate it even more. With hardly any effort needed, this recipe is sure to become a favorite in our home.
- Delicious results. We broil the bbq sauce on top to give us a nice smokey flavor similar to using the grill, but with a little more convenience. This recipe is fabulous and perfect for any side dish or weather.
- You can use your favorite BBQ sauce! You can never go wrong with your favorites! Grab something spicy, sweet, smokey, or homemade, and enjoy!
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🥘 Ingredients
Chicken Thighs- You'll need about 5 pounds of chicken thighs for this recipe. This is roughly 10-12 pieces depending on their size.
Olive Oil- Using olive oil will help to get the seasoning to stick to the chicken and help to crisp up the skin.
Seasonings- Use a blend of Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper for this recipe.
Barbecue Sauce- You will want to use your favorite barbecue sauce for this recipe.
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- Baking Sheet
- Measuring Spoons
- Small Bowls
- Pastry Brush
- Instant Read Thermometer
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside.
Add your seasonings to a small bowl.
Mix together to combine. Set aside.
Place your chicken thighs onto the prepared baking sheet and pat them dry with a clean paper towel. Then, brush the tops with olive oil.
Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken thighs.
Rub the seasoning around each piece really well so that they are all nicely coated.
Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Remove the pan from the oven and brush barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken.
Return to the oven and broil on High for 2-3 minutes or until done. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.
Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite side dishes.
Enjoy!
🧾 Substitutions
Paprika: Use regular paprika or smoked paprika for this recipe and it's sure to turn out delicious either way. Smoked paprika adds a nice depth of flavor that works really well here.
Italian Seasonings: I like to use Italian seasoning in my recipes because it contains a blend of different seasonings like rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc. You can use a homemade blend or just use oregano in its place if you don't have Italian seasoning on hand.
Chicken safety
You will know that your chicken has finished cooking properly when you can insert an instant read food thermometer into the meat hand have it register as 165 degrees F. The meat and juices may still have a slight pink coloration to them but it should not look raw.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Frozen chicken may take a few extra minutes to cook but thawed ones will cook up better and yield a better texture when finished.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Assuming that you have any leftovers, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. I recommend that you reheat leftovers in the oven or air fryer to crisp up everything before eating.
🍳 Reheating
- Microwave. One or two chicken thighs can easily be reheated on a microwave-safe plate for about 1.5-2 minutes.
- Oven. Alternatively, you can place them in the oven at 350F on a baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes.
- Air Fryer. They can also be reheated in your air fryer at 360F for about 5-6 minutes.
🥗 Side Dishes
These chicken thighs with barbecue sauce would be a perfect pairing with some green vegetables like Garlic Parmesan Roasted Green Beans or Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts and Bacon. Of course, my favorite vegetable pairing with chicken is actually cauliflower, like in my Instant Pot Cauliflower recipe.
💭 FAQs
Cooking chicken thighs with the skin on helps to seal in the juicy goodness. Without the skin to hold in those juices, you will risk your chicken drying out. If you don't wish to eat the skin, you can simply remove it after the chicken has been cooked.
Baking the chicken at either is fine, but for best results, it is good to cook them at 400 degrees F. This is because the higher temperature will help to crisp up the outside of the chicken more quickly and allow the chicken to cook quickly, evenly, and with better-tasting results.
These chicken thighs do not need to be covered when baking, in fact, it is best if you don't cover them at all. Direct contact with the heat will allow the skin to get nice and crispy, whereas putting a cover on top will steam the skin and make it more rubbery and soft in texture.
More great chicken recipes to check out soon
- Honey Lemon Pepper Wings
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg Quarters
- Cheesy Chicken with Quinoa and Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Oven Baked Beer Butt Chicken
- Creamy Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Roasted Whole Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots
📖 Recipe
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- Small Bowls
- Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Chicken Thighs (about 10 pieces) ($6.62)
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil ($0.39)
- 1 teaspoon Italian Season ($0.10)
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder ($0.10)
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder ($0.10)
- ½ teaspoon Paprika ($0.05)
- ½ teaspoon Salt ($0.05)
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper ($0.02)
- 1 cup Barbecue Sauce ($0.15)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside.
- Add your seasonings to a small bowl. Mix together to combine. Set aside.
- Place your chicken thighs onto the prepared baking sheet and pat them dry with a clean paper towel. Then, brush the tops with olive oil.
- Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken thighs. Rub the seasoning around each piece really well so that they are all nicely coated.
- Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Remove the pan from the oven and brush barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken.
- Return to the oven and broil on High for 2-3 minutes or until done. Keep an eye on them so that they don't burn.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite side dishes.
Notes
Recipe Tips
- Frozen chicken may take a few extra minutes to cook but thawed ones will cook up better and yield a better texture when finished.
- You will know that your chicken has finished cooking properly when you can insert an instant read food thermometer into the meat hand have it register as 165 degrees F. The meat and juices may still have a slight pink coloration to them but it should not look raw.
Storage
Assuming that you have any leftovers, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days. I recommend that you reheat leftovers in the oven or air fryer to crisp up everything before eating.Reheating
- Microwave. One or two chicken thighs can easily be reheated on a microwave-safe plate for about 1.5-2 minutes.
- Oven. Alternatively, you can place them in the oven at 350F on a baking sheet for about 5-10 minutes.
- Air Fryer. They can also be reheated in your air fryer at 360F for about 5-6 minutes.
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