These oven baked BBQ chicken thighs are amazing for a weeknight dinner or for weekend meal prep. With crispy skin and tender meat they’re perfect served with all kinds of sides or use the meat in wraps, sandwiches or salads.
This recipe is one you’ll have on repeat all summer! The homemade BBQ sauce adds so much incredible flavour while using thighs means you max out on flavour and the extra fat in the thighs keeps the meat moist.
Although you could use skinless thighs, I like to keep the skin on and allow it to crisp up nicely in the oven before coating the thighs in the sauce. Once they’re ready you can serve them with anything from mac and cheese to mashed potatoes or even as part of a summer picnic spread.
I’ve always loved using chicken thighs in recipes as they have so much more flavour and stay so much more moist than chicken breasts. If you’re looking for other ways to use them then you could try out this recipe for chicken tray bake with potatoes or this chipotle chicken salad.
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Ingredients
Aside from the chicken thighs I made a simple and flavour packed BBQ sauce to pour over the thighs while they baked. Once they were cooking it made a super sticky and sweet marinade which we couldn’t get enough of!
- Ketchup - we like Heinz!
- Brown Sugar
- Cider Vinegar
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Chilli Powder - reduce the amount or leave out completely if you don’t like a kick
- Salt
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Paprika
- Black Pepper
- Bone in Skin on Chicken Thighs - If you prefer then you can use skinless thighs. If you want to use boneless then you’ll need to adjust the cooking times to make sure the chicken isn’t overcooked
- Baking Powder
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Put the chicken thighs on a foil lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and the baking powder and rub into the thighs to make sure they’re fully coated. Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Put all of the BBQ sauce ingredients into a small saucepan and place over a low heat.
Whisk the sauce ingredients together and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes then remove from the heat.
Take the chicken thighs out of the oven and place them in a large bowl. Pour over ¾ of the sauce and use tongs to toss well until coated in the sauce.
Put the thighs back on the baking sheet and return to the oven.
Bake for another 10 minutes until the sauce is sticky. Serve with the remaining sauce.
Hint: The best way to check that your chicken is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Chicken should have an internal temperature of 165°F/75°C.
Substitutions
- Protein - This marinade would work great on other proteins. You could try it with pork, beef or even tofu
- Store Bought BBQ Sauce - this recipe for BBQ sauce is so easy and is much tastier than shop bought versions that I’ve tried. However, if you’re short on time, then you can totally use your favourite shop bought BBQ sauce and the below method and it will still be delicious!
Variations
- Spicy - increase the amount of chilli powder in the sauce if you want an extra spicy kick
If you want a recipe for skinless and boneless chicken thighs instead then try out this recipe for honey chipotle chicken.
Storage
These chicken thighs keep well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Store them in a sealed container.
If you want to freeze this chicken I’d recommend removing the meat from the bone and placing in a sealed container before freezing. Defrost thoroughly before using.
Top tip
Although you don’t have to, I’d recommend lining the tray with foil before cooking the chicken thighs. This will save you on scrubbing after you’ve finished cooking.
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs FAQ
Chicken thighs take about 30 minutes to bake in the oven at 425°F. I would recommend checking the internal temperature of them before taking out of the oven as the timings can vary depending on the size of the individual thighs.
If you’re finding that the skin isn’t getting as crispy as you’d like then make sure you pat it dry before adding the seasoning. Rubbing the skin with baking powder before putting in the oven will also help to get it nice and crispy before adding the BBQ sauce.
Don’t cover the chicken when baking. You want to get the skin nice and crispy and covering with foil will trap steam under there which will lead to soggy skin.
I prefer to use metal as it heats up faster which helps to cook the chicken through and crisp up the edges of the skin touching the pan.
No, there’s no need to flip the chicken while baking. Keep it skin side up the whole time to get the skin nice and crispy.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with BBQ baked chicken thighs:
Recipe
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lbs /1 kg bone in skin on Chicken Thighs
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- ½ cup /120 grams Ketchup
- 1 ¾ oz /50 grams Brown Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450°F/230°C. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and the baking powder, rub over the thighs to make sure they’re coated.
- Arrange the thighs on a foil lined baking sheet. Use two if needed. Bake the thighs for 20 minutes until browned and the skin is crispy.
- While the thighs cook make the bbq sauce. Put the ketchup, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chilli powder, salt, garlic and onion powder, paprika and plenty of black pepper in a small saucepan. Place over a low heat and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved.
- Put the cooked chicken thighs in a large bowl, pour over ¾ of the bbq sauce and toss well. Use tongs to put the chicken thighs back on the baking sheet and return them to the oven for 10 minutes until the sauce is sticky. Serve with the remaining bbq sauce.
Notes
Like the look of this recipe? Make sure you pin it for later!
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