Weeknight Chicken Just Got an Upgrade
This isn’t your typical baked chicken. Sure they’re tender, with crispy skin, but they also feature the most delicious BBQ chicken marinade and a cooking method that bakes them evenly all the way through. The marinade uses bbq sauce and spices similar to the dry rub in my Instant Pot pulled pork.
It’s also a similar cooking method to my crispy baked chicken wings or Asian chicken wings. The wire rack helps the air circulate all the way around the chicken, cooking it evenly and eliminating the need to flip it halfway through.
This recipe is one of my favorite 6 easy chicken marinades! If you love this one, use this cooking method with any of my delicious marinades.
Reader Reviews
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “I followed your directions for the boneless thighs, and they were delicious!” – Abby
What Makes Marinated BBQ Chicken Thighs So Good
- Moist and flavorful: Chicken thighs are naturally juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts (thanks to the dark meat), and when baked with BBQ sauce, it caramelizes and creates a sticky, sweet, and smoky glaze.
- Easy to prepare: BBQ baked chicken thighs are relatively easy to make and require minimal effort. Marinate the chicken ahead of time then bake.
- Affordable: Chicken thighs are typically less expensive than chicken breasts, making this budget-friendly.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken thighs: I prefer bone-in chicken thighs because it keeps them really moist, but boneless skinless chicken thighs work too. You can even use chicken breast if you have that on hand (cooking time will vary).
- BBQ sauce: use your favorite barbecue sauce or homemade bbq sauce works too. I love this whole30 bbq sauce that takes a few minutes to make. The most common BBQ sauce is sweet baby ray, but I also love Primal Kitchen.
- Spice mixture: a mixture of smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper gives the chicken a delicious flavor.
How to Make Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Add all of the marinade ingredients to a glass bowl with a lid or a gallon freezer bag or reusable silicone bag and mix well. Place the chicken in the marinade and toss to coat then marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours.
Remove them from the bag and place chicken thighs on a wire rack set on top of a parchment-lined baking tray. This is the best way to circulate air around the chicken and get it crispy and tender.
Bake the chicken thighs in the oven at 425 degrees f for 30-35 ish minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 155°F (the ideal temp is 165, but we’ll be broiling them for a few minutes).
Remove the chicken from the oven, use a pastry brush to coat the thighs with more BBQ sauce and place back in the oven, and broil for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce starts to bubble. Keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn!
How to Grill BBQ Chicken Thighs
Preheat the grill to medium-high heat (about 400-425 degrees F). Scrub the grill grates clean and oil them. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess.
Place the chicken on the grill smooth-side down. Grill boneless chicken thighs for 8 to 12 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or bone-in thighs for 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the chicken registers 160-165°F with an instant-read thermometer.
If you want to learn more, follow my tips on how to grill chicken thighs!
Molly’s Top Tip
Pat the chicken thighs very dry before marinating and bake them on a wire rack (like a cooling rack for cookies)—this ensures the skin gets ultra crispy and the chicken cooks evenly without steaming. Crispy just like these cast iron chicken thighs!
FAQs
You can bake chicken thighs at both 350°F and 400°F. Baking at a higher temperature (400°F) will result in crispy skin in a shorter amount of time. That crispy crust locks in the juices, making the chicken thighs really moist. A 350° F oven will still result in crispy skin, it will just take longer to crisp and cook all the way through. However, we like to bake them at an even higher oven temperature (425°F) for the same reasons.
You can easily use the same recipe and marinade to grill these thighs rather than bake them. Preheat the grill to about 400, oil the grill grates and grill the bone-in chicken thighs for 20-25 minutes or boneless chicken thighs for 8-12 minutes. See the notes section of the recipe card below for more information.
The decision to use boneless skinless chicken thighs or skin-on thighs is a personal preference. We love the juicy meat and flavor of skin-on because the skin protects the meat from drying out. However, they do take longer to bake. Boneless is just as delicious and takes less time.
It’s best to put the majority of BBQ sauce partially through baking, to avoid burning the sauce because of the sugar content. We like to use a spice rub or marinade and bake the chicken thighs most of the way through then brush a generous amount of BBQ sauce on top and finish baking or broiling.
What to Serve with Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Corn or corn on the cob: try honey cornbread muffins, summer corn salad or my grilled zucchini salad.
- Big Salad: grilled peach salad, strawberry spinach salad, or cucumber tomato avocado salad.
- Potato salad: Potato salad or sweet potato salad.
- Grilled vegetables: Grilled or roasted vegetables, such as zucchini, bell peppers, and eggplant, are easy and delicious. I love to do roasted veggies with quinoa or rice.
- Beans: baked beans or green beans make a delicious BBQ side dish.
Storage Tips
Store leftover chicken thighs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes covered with a damp paper towel or in the oven at 400°F until warmed through.
Check out our post on how to marinate chicken to learn more about freezing this recipe before baking.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
More Chicken Recipes
- Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Thighs
- One Pot Hawaiian Chicken
- Crispy Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
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Ingredients
- 1 – 1 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (see notes for boneless chicken thighs)
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce any favorite BBQ sauce works, plus more for glazing
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cloves minced garlic or 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except the chicken, to a glass bowl with a lid or a gallon freezer bag or reusable silicone bag. Whisk or mix everything together then add the chicken and turn to coat it well if using a bowl or dish. Close the lid and shake well to coat if you’re using a bag.3 Tablespoons olive oil, 1/3 cup BBQ sauce, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Pat the chicken thighs really well with a paper towel and place them in the marinade. Turn them over a few times until they’re fully coated. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. Do not exceed 24 hours.1 – 1 1/2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- When you’re ready to make them, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place a wire rack on top. I used a cooking rack.
- Use tongs to remove the chicken thighs from the marinade and place the chicken thighs skin side up in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and wire rack. Discard any excess marinade.
- Bake the bbq chicken thighs in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until an internal temperature reads approximately 155-160°F. Remove them form the oven and brush them with additional BBQ sauce. Place back in the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes until the sauce begins to bubble. This helps the sauce stick to the chicken and the sugar caramelize. The internal temperature should read about 160°F when you remove the chicken thighs.
- Tent the chicken with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving to lock in the juices. Serve with additional BBQ sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I followed your directions for the boneless thighs, and they were delicious!
Thanks, Abby!! We love this one too!