Juicy and tender Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs is a quick and easy recipe for busy night or a crowd.
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 BBQ 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 chicken a night before, so it takes no more than 30 minutes the next day to prepare the dinner.
Ingredients for Chicken Thighs Marinade
Since this recipe is based on my BBQ Chicken Wings, 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 Chicken Thighs
You can marinate the chicken in 3 easy steps:
- Wash and pat dry the chicken 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 the chicken 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 chicken is marinated, it takes less then 30 minutes to cook the meat.
Place the chicken 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 of the chicken.
Set the oven broil and broil for about 5 minutes or until the BBQ sauce is caramelized.
And your Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs are ready to serve!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
What type of chicken can I use in this recipe?
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.
What is the baking time for other type of chicken?
- 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.
How to know if chicken is cooked?
It’s very important to make sure that your chicken is completely cooked. Here are a few tips:
- 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.
Check out more Chicken Recipes here:
- Instant Pot Chicken Wings
- 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 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 chicken 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 chicken 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 of the chicken.
- 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.
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.