Oven-baked bbq chicken thighs are the perfect weeknight meal! Seasoned to perfection with cajun seasoning and then topped off with bbq sauce.
These are perfect served alongside creamy coleslaw and 4 cheese mac and cheese.
The best bbq is usually made with dark meat. Chicken legs and chicken thighs are dark meat while the breasts and wings are considered white meat. Dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat, therefore, it makes for better bbq because the best bbq is usually cooked long and slow.
These oven-baked bbq chicken thighs require only 4 ingredients and they are the most flavorful and juiciest chicken thighs you’ll ever have. These chicken thighs melt in your mouth and make your taste buds sing from all the delicious flavor. Yes, they are that good!
Although I highly recommend using chicken thighs for this recipe you may certainly use chicken breasts or wings for this recipe as well. All you have to do is adjust the cooking time.
I cooked these chicken thighs in the oven for 45 minutes total at 425 degrees F. Although cooking time will vary based on the size of your chicken. The safe cooking temperature for chicken is 165 degrees F.
Only 4 Ingredients
- Bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
- Cajun Seasoning – Homemade or store-bought is fine.
- BBQ Sauce
- Olive Oil
How to Make
For best results, use bone-in chicken thighs, skin on. Follow these quick and easy steps for the ultimate baked chicken:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, this will help to crisp up the skin.
- Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with cajun seasoning on both sides. Make sure to season under the skin as well.
- Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
- Brush the chicken thighs with your favorite barbecue sauce and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes uncovered until fully cooked through.
Top tips and recipe variations:
- If you want these chicken thighs to be extra flavorful, season them and refrigerate them for 24 hours.
- Let the chicken come to room temperature for 40 minutes before cooking.
- Add some onions and peppers and cook them along with the chicken.
- Don’t apply the bbq sauce on to the chicken too early, barbecue sauce contains sugar and it will burn if cooked for too long. Brush the chicken with the bbq sauce during the final 15 minutes of cooking.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked through, broil for an additional 1-2 minutes to get the skin nice and crisp.
More chicken recipes you’ll enjoy
Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs, skin on
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 cup bbq sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cajun seasoning, and olive oil.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes uncovered.
- After 30 minutes, coat the chicken with the bbq sauce and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Good recipe, Julie! I did not need to cook as long as stated due to size of thighs. Your helpful suggestions made this so easy to make. My husband said I could make this for him as often as I wanted to. I did not need to put under the broiler—I it turned out perfectly. iI loved the zippy Cajun seasoning with Sweet Baby Rays bbq sauce—winner recipe!