These are the best juicy and tender Boneless Chicken Thighs, marinated in dry rub, then baked in the oven and broiled until BBQ is caramelized! It will be a great easy recipe for a family dinner for a cookout party.
This is one of my favorite recipes for boneless skinless chicken thighs marinated, baked, and broiled in the oven. The final result; you will have juicy and tender aromatic chicken with mouthwatering caramelized BBQ sauce on top.
The recipe is based on my Instant Pot Chicken Wings. But since we are baking it in the oven, I let the chicken marinate first in herbs and spices to absorb all the flavors.
I like to marinate the meat a night before, so it takes no more than 30 minutes the next day to prepare the dinner.
Table of contents
Ingredients Marinade
Since this recipe is based on my current BBQ Wings recipe, I used the same seasoning:
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Cayenne
- Oregano
- Thyme
And, since it’s not a dry rub but marinade, we need to add some olive oil.
How to marinate
You can marinate the meat in 3 easy steps:
- Wash and pat dry the meat and put it in a gallon size zip-lock bag.
- Add the seasoning and olive oil.
- Close the bag, mix everything together, and marinate 1-24 hours.
NOTE: I like to marinate it a night before or in the morning before cooking. This way it will be able to absorb more flavors. If you don’t have time, refrigerate it at least for an hour before cooking.
How to bake Chicken Thighs in the oven
After the meat is marinated, it takes less then 30 minutes to cook.
Place the meat on a baking sheet with a wire rack and bake at 400˚F for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170-175˚F.
When done, brush BBQ sauce on top.
Set the oven broil and broil for about 5 minutes or until the BBQ sauce is caramelized.
Tips for Best Results
- Marinade. The longer you marinate, the more flavorful meat will be. I think that overnight gives the best results.
- Cooking. Always use a meat thermometer to make sure that the meat is cooked through and safe to eat.
How to serve
This recipe is so much fun to serve for a big party or family dinner! I love to accompany it with different sides, vegetables, and salads. Here are a few ideas:
- Sides. Instant Pot Mexican Rice, Crispy Smashed Potatoes, Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- Vegetables. Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob, Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan.
- Salads. Chicken Macaroni Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, Farro Salad Recipe, Potato Salad with Bacon and Eggs, BLT Pasta Salad.
- Dips. Best Tzatziki Recipe, Mango Avocado Salsa, Simple Guacamole.
- Other Meats. Buttermilk Chicken Tenders, Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
In this recipe, I use boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you want, you also can use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks. However, the cooking time will be different.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – bake for 20 minutes at 400˚F.
Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs – bake for 40-45 minutes at 400˚F.
Chicken Drumsticks – bake for 50-60 minutes at 400˚F.
It’s very important to make sure that your chicken is completely cooked. Here are a few tips:
1. The internal temperature of cooked chicken should be at least 165˚ Though, I prefer to cook mine till it’s 175˚F.
2. The juices from the chicken should come out clear.
3. If you have bones in the chicken, make sure that there is no meat with pinkish color on the bones.
You can refrigerate it in an air-tight container for about 4-5 days.
Check out more Chicken Recipes here:
- Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
- Whole Roasted Chicken
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup
- Healthy Chicken Wraps
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Hawaiian Chicken
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Oven Baked BBQ Boneless Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the meat and put it in a gallon size zip-lock bag.
- Add the seasoning and olive oil.
- Close the bag, mix everything together, and marinate 1-24 hours.
- Place the meat on a baking sheet with a wire rack and bake at 400˚F for about 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 170-175˚
- When done, brush BBQ sauce on top.
- Set the oven broil and broil for about 5 minutes or until the BBQ sauce is caramelized.
Notes
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs – bake for 20 minutes at 400˚F.
- Bone-in Skin-on Chicken Thighs – bake for 40-45 minutes at 400˚F.
- Chicken Drumsticks – bake for 50-60 minutes at 400˚F.
- The internal temperature of cooked chicken should be at least 165˚ Though, I prefer to cook mine till it’s 175˚F.
- The juices from the chicken should come out clear.
- If you have bones in the chicken, make sure that there is no meat with pinkish color on the bones.
Kids loved this the first time I made it with the chicken thighs. The next time I made it with boneless, skinless chicken breast, and they were just as enthusiastic.
Recipe came out great! Thank you! I didn’t use as much bbq sauce as recipe called for, but it didn’t need it. The spice marinade added enough flavor that the extra bbq wasn’t missed! I marinated for apx 3 hrs and it was sooo good!
Will this taste good when it has only marinated for 1 hour?
Hi Christen! Yes, it still will have a good flavor!
Simply outstanding! I’ve made 2 of your recipes so far and both have been delicious. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you so much, Chari! I’m so happy you enjoyed both recipes! Hope you will try more of them soon 😉
I read the nutrition info provided. Is that for the whole recipe or a serving? If a serving what is the serving size, please?
Hi Katie,
My wife made this for us—5 thighs ended up rounding out the two pound suggested amount for us. I took the nutrition information’s “serves 4 people” to mean the information was for 1/4 of the recipe. Since we used five thighs, I just adjusted to 1/5….
Do you have to use a wire rack?
Hi Peggy! It’s better to use a wire rack for even baking. Also, when you broil the chicken with BBQ sauce, you don’t want it to stick to the baking sheet.
I used a round broiling pan (lots of holes) and honestly, it cooked evenly and was so good. I’d say that the wire rack isn’t a must … but that’s just me : )
Fabulous recipe! So easy to make and the chicken was juicy and tender with a caramelized BBQ sauce. Although it was baked, it tasted as if it just came off the grill!
Thank you so much, Jenny! I’m so happy you liked this recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe. Best BBQ chicken thighs I’ve ever fixed. My husband loved them. Easy, great flavors and very moist chicken.
Thank you so much, Rene! I’m so happy you and your husband loved it 😉
Just finished cooking these. Followed the recipe exactly. DELICIOUS!! Hope I can save some for dinner.
Thank you, Renee! I’m so happy you liked it!
Can you wrap them in bacon?
This is a great idea! Never tried it but I think it should work!
Love all the ingredients in this recipe. I am glad to have found your recipe on time since I was heading to the grocery.
We are simply nutty about our BBQ meats, especially chicken. Well, now that the temperature has plummeted we’re just a bit blue about not being able to grill. Now this recipe will certainly save the day for us. We’ll get our barbecued chicken with lots of flavor and stay toasty warm indoors.
They look delicious and juicy! This is a recipe to be made often for sure!
Wow, truly stunning photos and that sauce looks sticky/lick-your-fingers-clean delicious! I’m so loving this recipe and can’t wait to try it!
These look absolutely magnificent! That sauce sounds delicious and your photos are gorgeous!
That glaze makes me want to dance! Love how delicious these chicken thighs look – I might be trying them out this weekend – won’t be able to wait any longer 🙂
Incredible chicken that is the perfect entertainer when it comes to hosting a small gathering. Really like the glaze and the amount – just perfect for me!
This is a great recipe everyone in the family will enjoy. Classic flavors. Chicken thighs are so juicy too after being in the marinade.
Those look outstanding! I love cooking with thighs. They’re so much more juicy than the breast.