Easy Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
A quick dry rub, a hot oven and barbecue sauce brushed on at the end so it glazes instead of burning.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
Oven-baked barbecue chicken is often dry because the sauce goes on too early and the chicken stays in too long. Here the rub seasons the meat, the sauce is brushed on for the last few minutes, and the thermometer tells you when to stop.
Even thickness, even cooking
Chicken breasts are thick at one end and thin at the other. Pound the thick end to about 3/4 inch so the whole piece is done at the same time.
Chicken is safe at 165°F in the thickest part. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out, especially with thick breasts.
Easy Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
Ingredients
Method
Heat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with foil or parchment.
Pound the thick end of each breast to an even 3/4 inch. Rub with oil, then with the mixed brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Bake for 15 minutes. Brush generously with barbecue sauce and bake for 5 to 8 minutes more, until the chicken reaches 165°F.
For a stickier finish, brush with more sauce and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching closely.
Rest for 5 minutes before slicing so the juices stay in the meat.
A new recipe from our editors: times are estimates and have not yet been confirmed in our own test kitchen. Use the doneness cues and temperatures above.
