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Glazed BBQ chicken thighs on a wire rack with crispy golden skin, an easy oven dinner

BBQ Chicken With Crispy Skin and Sticky Homemade Sauce

Oven baked bone-in chicken thighs with a smoky dry rub, crisp skin, and a two-coat homemade BBQ glaze. No grill needed.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings: 4 2 thighs with sauce
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian-inspired
Calories: 670
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken
  • 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds), from a butcher you trust
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
Dry rub
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Homemade BBQ sauce
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
  • 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke optional

Equipment

  • Rimmed half sheet pan (18x13 inches)
  • Oven-safe wire rack
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Small saucepan (2 quart)
  • Silicone basting brush

Method
 

  1. Coat the thighs with the olive oil and press the dry rub onto both sides. Set them skin side up on the oiled rack, 1 inch apart, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the skin looks matte and slightly tacky. Heat the oven to 425°F during this rest.
  2. While the thighs rest, whisk the sauce ingredients in the saucepan and bring to a bubble over medium heat. Simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
  3. Bake the thighs at 425°F for 25 minutes with no sauce, until the skin is golden with small blisters and fat pools on the foil.
  4. Pour 2/3 cup of sauce into a small bowl and keep the rest in the pot. Brush each thigh with about 2 teaspoons, then bake for 10 minutes until the glaze bubbles at the edges. Discard any sauce left in the bowl.
  5. Brush a second coat from the bowl and bake for 10 more minutes, until the thickest thigh reads 185°F and the meat pulls easily from the bone.
  6. Broil on high for 2 to 3 minutes, watching closely, until the glaze bubbles and shows a few dark, charred edges.
  7. Rest the thighs on a trivet for 5 minutes until the glaze tightens and stops dripping.
  8. Warm the reserved sauce over low heat for 2 minutes until glossy and steaming, and serve it on the side.

Notes

USDA lists 165°F as the safe minimum for poultry. Dark meat is more tender at 185°F.
Storage: refrigerate 3 to 4 days in an airtight container, or freeze up to 3 months.
If you use Morton kosher salt instead of Diamond Crystal, use 1 teaspoon in the rub.