Grilling might not be for everyone. But delicious, tender BBQ chicken legs certainly should be.
If you don’t have a grill or the weather is keeping you inside, this easy technique for making barbecue chicken in the oven is all you need.
Taking cues from the grilled version of this recipe, the chicken gets a quick sear under the broiler to brown the skin, and then a longer roast in the oven until the chicken is completely tender.
A quick marinade in the barbecue sauce before roasting helps enhance the flavor and improve the tenderness of the chicken. The barbecue sauce bakes into the skin and caramelizes during cooking.
I also like to cook the chicken on a metal rack over a baking sheet to allow even heat and continuous airflow on all sides. This helps prevent soggy skin.
I usually make this recipe with chicken legs, but you could also make it with a mix of legs and thighs. For optimum flavor, I recommend you stick with these dark meat cuts and avoid breast meat.
You can use any variety of thick, tomato or mustard-based sauce with this method, so use your favorite! For this recipe, I used a spicy store-bought tomato barbecue sauce made with vinegar and sugar.
Easy BBQ Chicken in the Oven Recipe
Liquid smoke adds a hint of smokiness to the chicken. Look for it with the condiments in the grocery store.
You can easily double or triple this recipe for a larger crowd; just make sure there is a little space between each chicken leg on the pan and work in batches if necessary.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (skin-on, bone-in) chicken legs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (any tomato- or mustard-based sauce), divided
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
- Pastry brush
- Baking sheet
- Metal cooling rack
Read More: Easy BBQ Chicken in the Oven
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