Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Coat the chicken on all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken skin side down on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove chicken from oven and turn the temperature of the oven up to 425 degrees.
- Coat the top of the chicken with barbecue sauce using a basting brush. Use a spatula to flip the chicken over, being careful not to tear the skin. Baste the other side of the chicken, and place back in the oven for 7 minutes.
- Remove from oven, baste top with barbecue sauce, and place back in oven for 7 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven again and baste again, for a total of three times, and place back in oven for 7 more minutes. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer to confirm it reaches at least 165 degrees F.
- If the chicken hasn't crisped and browned to your liking, move the oven rack up and broil the chicken for 3-5 minutes, until it's more crispy.
- Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes after cooking before serving so the juices redistribute.
Notes
For crispy skin, pat the chicken dry before cooking. You can bake the chicken skin side up from the start on a baking rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, then add BBQ sauce as directed and do not flip.
If you use water chilled chicken, dry brine it by rubbing the pieces with salt and leaving them uncovered in the fridge for 2-12 hours on a wire baking rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Rinse the chicken, pat it dry, and reduce added salt.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks produce juicy results. Thighs are best cooked to 185-195 degrees F, but are safe at 165 degrees F.
If you find the oven splattering, you can tent the chicken with foil.