Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs

5 from 3 votes

Serve these baked bbq chicken thighs for an easy dinner that's ready from start to finish in about 30 minutes!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword baked bbq chicken thighs, boneless skinless bbq chicken thighs, oven baked bbq chicken thighs, oven bbq chicken thighs boneless skinless

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings people

Calories 352kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

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 aluminum foil 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 both sides of the chicken.
Place the chicken on the prepared pan.
Bake the chicken thighs uncovered for 20-25 minutes, basting with the bbq sauce during the final 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven when the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F. For a more charred, crispy finish, transfer the chicken to the broiler for a few minutes at the very end. Just keep a close eye on it; the chicken can burn easily.
Allow the chicken to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve with additional bbq sauce, if desired.

Baste the chicken with the bbq sauce at the end of the baking time. If you put it on the meat before it goes into the oven, the bbq sauce is more likely to burn. You can also add extra sauce after the meat comes out of the oven, if you like.

For a crispier, more charred exterior, transfer the chicken to the broiler for the final couple of minutes. Just keep a close eye on it because the meat can burn quickly.

Patting the chicken dry before adding the dry rub helps the seasoning adhere to the meat.

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 thighs can vary, 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 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 - 2 ½ 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. Similarly, you can cut all of the ingredients in half to serve a smaller family.