Description

This Oven Baked BBQ Chicken recipe features tender, juicy chicken thighs, drumsticks, or wings baked to perfection in a homemade quick barbecue sauce. The sauce combines ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and spices to create a tangy, slightly sweet glaze that caramelizes beautifully under the broiler. Finished with a fresh herb garnish, it’s an easy, crowd-pleasing dish perfect for a comforting meal paired with classic sides like mashed potatoes and coleslaw.

Ingredients

Units Scale

Sauce

1 cup ketchup or Australian/UK tomato sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp mustard powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper
1 cup water

Chicken

1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs (bone in, skin on), drumsticks or wings
Fresh parsley, chives or finely chopped green onions, for garnish

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Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (390°F) to prepare for baking the chicken evenly.
Make the Sauce: In a ceramic or glass baking dish, combine ketchup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and water. Stir until fully mixed to create the homemade BBQ sauce.
Coat Chicken: Add the chicken pieces to the sauce in the dish, turning to coat them thoroughly. Arrange the chicken skin side down to ensure it crisps nicely during baking.
Bake First Stage: Bake the chicken for 20 minutes in the preheated oven to start cooking and infusing with the sauce.
Turn and Baste: Remove the dish from the oven, turn the chicken over, and spoon additional sauce over the pieces for more flavor and moisture.
Bake Second Stage: Return the chicken to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes until cooked through and tender.
Remove Excess Fat: Optional step: carefully tilt the pan and spoon out or drain off any excess fat that has accumulated in the dish to keep the sauce light.
Broil to Finish: Switch your oven to the broiler/grill setting on high. Generously spoon sauce over the chicken, then place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to caramelize the sauce and crisp the skin. Watch closely to prevent burning, as this happens quickly.
Garnish and Serve: Remove from the oven and garnish with fresh parsley, chives, or chopped green onions. Serve hot with your favorite classic BBQ sides like mashed potatoes, cornbread, or coleslaw.

Notes

Sauce substitutions: Use tomato sauce if ketchup is unavailable. Vinegar alternatives include white wine, sherry, or champagne vinegar. Onion powder can be replaced with garlic powder or one minced garlic clove.
Chicken selection: Bone-in, skin-on pieces such as thighs, drumsticks, and wings produce the best results for moist, flavorful meat. Boneless breasts or thighs may be used but require adjusted sauce application and may yield a less juicy outcome.
Cooking vessel: Use glass or ceramic baking dishes for easy cleanup, or line a metal pan with foil and parchment paper to prevent sticking.
Sauce consistency: Thickness of the sauce at the end depends on chicken juiciness, oven temperature, and how tightly the chicken fits in the dish. Adjust thickness by adding water to thin or briefly returning to the oven to thicken.
Recipe adapted from the Neely’s BBQ sauce from Food Network.
Nutrition values assume excess fat is spooned off and the full sauce is consumed.