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.
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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!
While we'd love to heat up the grill any time the mood strikes, sometimes it just isn't possible. Making Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs sounds like a great alternative though, especially when you think of the easier cleanup.
You can still serve up some of your favorite BBQ side dishes like Orange Creamsicle Fluff, Dill Pickle Potato Salad, and Garlic Parmesan Roasted Green Beans.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- 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!
🛒 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. If you still have thighs leftover, try making some Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Potatoes.
Barbecue Sauce- You will want to use your favorite barbecue sauce for this recipe.
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
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 Seasoning: 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.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Buy Chicken in Value Packs. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are one of the most affordable cuts of meat, and family-size packs offer the best price per pound. Freeze extras for future meals.
Stretch the Meal. Serve the thighs with inexpensive sides like canned green beans, roasted frozen vegetables, rice, or mashed potatoes to feed more people without raising the cost.
Make It Homemade. If you have the ingredients on hand, Homemade Barbecue Sauce can be cheaper than bottled, and lets you adjust the flavor to match your budget and taste.
🥄 Instructions for Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Set it aside.
Step 2: Add your seasonings to a small bowl.
Step 3: Mix together to combine. Set aside.
Step 4: 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.
Step 5: Sprinkle the seasoning over the chicken thighs.
Step 6: Rub the seasoning around each piece really well so that they are all nicely coated.
Step 7: Bake in the oven for 40 minutes. Or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
Step 8: Remove the pan from the oven and brush barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken.
Step 9: 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.
Step 10: Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite side dishes.
Enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Expert 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.
- If you don't want to heat up the house too much, or you want something a little faster, you can these Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Thighs instead.
- You will know that your chicken has finished cooking properly when you can insert an instant read food thermometer into the meat and have it register as 165 degrees F.
❄️ Storage and Reheating
Storage: Store any leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. For best texture, reheat using the oven or air fryer rather than the microwave.
Microwave Reheating: Place one or two chicken thighs on a microwave-safe plate and heat for 1½-2 minutes, or until warmed through.
Oven Reheating: Reheat in the oven at 350°F for 5-10 minutes, depending on size.
Air Fryer Reheating: Warm leftovers in the air fryer at 360°F for 5-6 minutes. Need to learn more? Check out What is an Air Fryer? Everything You Need to Know.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
These chicken thighs with barbecue sauce would be a perfect pairing with some green vegetables like Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts and Bacon or The Best Canned Green Bean Recipe. Of course, my favorite vegetable pairing with chicken is actually cauliflower, like in my Roasted Frozen Cauliflower.
- Instant Pot Brussel Sprouts and BaconRecipe $4.01 / Serving $1.01
- The Best Canned Green Bean RecipeRecipe $1.14 / Serving $0.29
- Roasted Frozen CauliflowerRecipe $1.43 / Serving $0.36
- Instant Pot Steamed BroccoliRecipe $1.55 / Serving $0.39
❓ 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. It's 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 Recipes You'll Love
- Honey Lemon Pepper Chicken WingsRecipe $9.14 / Serving $2.29
- Air Fryer Chicken Leg QuartersRecipe $2.15 / Serving $1.09
- Honey Garlic Chicken BitesRecipe $3.98 / Serving $1.00
- Chicken Nugget WrapsRecipe $3.93 / Serving $0.98
🐝 If you tried these Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 5 pounds chicken thighs, about 10 pieces - ($7.60)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil - ($0.42)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder - ($0.08)
- ½ teaspoon paprika - ($0.04)
- ½ teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.02)
- 1 cup barbecue sauce - ($1.04)
Instructions
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Mix seasoning. Combine the Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Prep chicken. Arrange the chicken thighs on the baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Brush the tops with olive oil.
- Season. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken and rub to coat evenly.
- Bake. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Sauce and broil. Remove from the oven and brush the barbecue sauce over the chicken. Return to the oven and broil on High for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely to prevent burning.
- Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cooking Tips. Thawed chicken yields the best texture. If cooking from partially frozen, add a few extra minutes and verify doneness with an instant read thermometer.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
- Reheating. Microwave 1 to 2 thighs for 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Oven reheat at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes. Air fry at 360°F for 5 to 6 minutes.
Nutritional Information
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