Oven BBQ Chicken

This oven bbq chicken is an easy dump-and-bake dinner with just 5 minutes of prep! Use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for flavorful meat that’s seasoned with a bbq dry rub, then basted in a sweet and zesty bbq sauce. It’s crispy on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside, and delicious alongside cornbread, biscuits, collard greens, and coleslaw.

BBQ Chicken Breast in Oven

​​​​​​​I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t love oven bbq chicken breast! It’s just one of those universally appealing meals that works well for both kids and adults. The tender, juicy meat pairs nicely with almost any of your favorite sides, making it convenient for potlucks, picnics, or big family dinners. No matter when you serve it, you can’t beat the convenience of baked barbecue chicken!

Ingredients for the Best BBQ Chicken Recipe

This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for bbq chicken in oven. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.

• Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts: bake as much chicken as you need to feed your family. Typically, these bone-in chicken breasts weigh about 1 – 1 ½ lbs. each, and you can easily scale the ingredients to serve a larger group. If you prefer to substitute with a different cut of chicken (such as bone in skin on chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks if you like dark meat), you’ll need to adjust the total cooking time.
• BBQ dry rub: you’ll make your own barbecue rub, which includes brown sugar, chili powder, kosher salt, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and onion powder. It’s slightly sweet and zesty, but not too spicy. You can substitute with your favorite store-bought rub if you prefer. Also, you can add cayenne or black pepper to give it a little more kick.
• BBQ sauce: baste the chicken with bbq sauce towards the end of the baking time. We love Stubbs sauce, but you can substitute with your favorite homemade or store-bought brand.

How to Make BBQ Chicken in the Oven

Get dinner ready for the oven in about 5 minutes! This easy, family-friendly meal is perfect for busy weeknights.

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
2. Stir together the bbq dry rub.
3. Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken. Arrange the chicken skin side up on a lined rimmed baking sheet.
4. Bake the chicken on the middle rack in a 400°F oven for a total of about 40-50 minutes, basting with bbq sauce during the final 5-10 minutes. There’s no need to flip the chicken over. The meat is done when the juices run clear and an instant read thermometer reads 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast.

​​​​​​What to Serve with Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

Oven bbq chicken is so popular is because it’s so versatile! Pair the meat with your family’s favorite sides and you have a kid-friendly meal ready in no time. Here are a few easy side dishes that go well with the chicken:

• Hush Puppies
• Coleslaw or Vinegar Coleslaw
• Hoe Cakes
• Baked Potato Wedges, Twice Baked Potatoes, 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream and Chives, Skin On Mashed Red Potatoes, Baked Potatoes, or Easy Potato Salad
• Skillet Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Honey Cornbread, Old-Fashioned Corn Sticks, Sweet Cornbread Muffins
• Creamy Baked Mac and Cheese, Crock Pot Mac and Cheese, Stovetop Shells and Cheese, or No-Boil Easy Mac and Cheese
• 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Southern Buttermilk Biscuits, Flaky Biscuits, Aunt Bee’s 3-Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, Easy Drop Biscuits
• Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
• Corn Salad, Jiffy Corn Casserole, or Fried Corn
• 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
• Wedge Salad, Classic Caesar Salad, House Salad with Candied Pecans, or a Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette
• Refrigerator Dill Pickles, Cucumber Salad with Vinegar, Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad, or Cucumber Dill Salad
• Arkansas Green Beans with Bacon or Southern-Style Green Beans
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Fried Apples or Baked Apple Slices
• Southern Succotash
• Southern Collard Greens
• Fried Okra
• Broccoli and Cheese
• Easy Pasta Salad
• Homemade Baked Beans with Bacon
• Charleston Red Rice
• Okra and Tomatoes
• Southern Squash Casserole
• Cheese Grits
• Fried Cabbage with Apples and Onion, Braised Red Cabbage, or Roasted Cabbage

Storage and Preparation Tips

• Prep ahead! You can whisk together the dry rub in advance and keep it stored in your pantry in an airtight container for weeks. We like to keep a big batch on hand so that it’s easy to grab and use in a variety of recipes.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also store the chicken in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Use leftover chicken on sandwiches, wraps, pizzas, or salads for easy lunches or dinners throughout the week!

Recipe Variations​​​​​​​

• Swap out the homemade bbq dry rub and instead season the meat with your favorite store-bought barbecue seasoning. You can also just keep it simple with salt and pepper or other spices.
• Use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs instead of the chicken breasts. The thighs will cook for a total of about 30 minutes, so don’t forget to brush with the bbq sauce during the final 5-10 minutes.
• We love the ease of store-bought barbecue sauce (our favorite brand is Stubbs), but you can substitute with a homemade bbq sauce if you prefer.

Tips for the Best BBQ Chicken in Oven

• This recipe works best with bone-in, skin-on chicken (boneless, skinless breasts just aren’t as good). The bones and skin keep the white meat incredibly moist and juicy in the oven, and add so much extra flavor. Even if you prefer to pull off the skin before eating the meat, I highly recommend cooking the chicken with the skin still on.
• Patting the chicken dry before adding the dry rub helps the seasoning adhere to the meat and makes the skin more crispy. Don’t skip that step!
• Line your baking sheet or roasting pan with foil before adding the chicken. This makes clean-up a breeze.
• Since the size and thickness of chicken breasts can vary greatly, I suggest using a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is done. The meat needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
• Scale this recipe to feed a crowd! For our family of 5, I typically bake 3-4 large bone-in chicken breasts (about 4 ½ – 6 lbs. total). If you’d like to feed a larger group, just double (or triple) the dry rub and bbq sauce so that you have enough to coat more chicken pieces.

More Baked Chicken Breast Recipes to Try

• Lemon Chicken
• Roasted Chicken Breast with Molasses and Apples
• Greek Chicken and Potatoes
• Oven Baked Chicken Breast
• 5-Ingredient Baked Chicken Breast Recipe
• Dump-and-Bake Basil Chicken Breasts
• 5-Minute Honey French Baked Chicken Breasts
• “No Work” Baked Chicken

Oven BBQ Chicken

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 50 minutes

Resting Time 5 minutes

Total: 1 hour

Servings 4 – 5 people

Calories 238 kcal

Bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts are coated with a bbq dry rub, basted with bbq sauce, and roasted in the oven for an easy, flavorful dinner. The meat is crispy on the outside and incredibly juicy on the inside!

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4-5 lbs. bone-in, skin-on split chicken breast (about 3 large breasts)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ cup bbq sauce, plus extra for serving

Instructions

• Let the chicken sit on the counter and come to room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven and prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet or a roasting pan with foil or parchment paper for easy cleanup, if desired.
• Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels.
• In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, chili powder, kosher salt, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder.
• Rub the seasoning mixture all over the chicken.
• Place the chicken (skin-side up) on the prepared pan.
• Bake the bone-in chicken breasts uncovered for a total of about 40-50 minutes, basting with the bbq sauce during the final 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven when the skin is crispy, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of a breast.
• Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional bbq sauce, if desired.

Notes

• This recipe works best with bone-in, skin-on chicken (boneless, skinless breasts just aren’t as good). The bones and skin keep the white meat incredibly moist and juicy in the oven, and add so much extra flavor. Even if you prefer to pull off the skin before eating the meat, I highly recommend cooking the chicken with the skin still on.
• Patting the chicken dry before adding the dry rub helps the seasoning adhere to the meat and makes the skin more crispy. Don’t skip that step!
• Line your baking sheet or roasting pan with foil before adding the chicken. This makes clean-up a breeze.
• Since the size and thickness of chicken breasts can vary greatly, I suggest using a meat thermometer to know when your chicken is done. The meat needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.
• Scale this recipe to feed a crowd! For our family of 5, I typically bake 3-4 large bone-in chicken breasts (about 4 ½ – 6 lbs. total). If you’d like to feed a larger group, just double (or triple) the dry rub and bbq sauce so that you have enough to coat more chicken pieces.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 238kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 20gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 58mgSodium: 2204mgPotassium: 342mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 874IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg

Keyword: baked barbecue chicken breast, bbq chicken in oven, oven bbq chicken, oven BBQ chicken breast

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe was originally published in April, 2020. It was updated in May, 2022.