Having a protein in the fridge during the week, like these baked barbecue chicken breasts, makes for an easy meal to reheat and add to salads, pizza, tacos, or serve with a simple side dish. I’ve made chicken breasts with this foolproof method for years, and they always turn out juicy and delicious. With a few simple steps, you can have dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.
My kids love them for lunch or dinner, and they are versatile enough to be paired with any type of sauce, not just barbecue. Serve them alongside cheesy mashed potatoes or garlic butter rice, I promise they will be so helpful during your weekly meal planning.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One pan dinner recipe. There is no fancy equipment needed for this bbq chicken, only a single baking dish which makes clean up stress-free.
- Customize to your liking. Use your favorite store-bought sauce or make it from scratch.
- Great for an easy dinner but also ideal for meal prepping. It’s the classic no-fuss recipe that even picky easters love.
Tips for Busy Cooks
If you want to cut down on the prep time of the recipe, you can buy thin chicken breast cutlets from the meat department and this way you don’t even have to pound the chicken. This can take the prep time from 10 minutes to just 5 minutes total (how easy is that!).
Key Ingredient Notes
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – You’ll want to make sure you look for breasts that aren’t too large, about 4 breasts should equal 2 pounds.
- Light brown sugar adds a hint of sweetness that complements the smoked paprika and bbq sauce so nicely.
- Smoked paprika enhances the smoky barbecue sauce flavor in the spice as well. A little bit goes a long way.
- Black pepper adds a hint of spice in every bite.
- Chili powder – Another ingredient that also gives smokiness and a depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic powder infuses every bite with a signature garlic flavor, making it even more delicious.
- Onion powder adds sweet, concentrated onion flavor without adding actual raw onion.
- BBQ sauce – Buy your favorite brand here. Make sure you have extra for serving.
How to make baked bbq chicken breasts
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a meat pounder, flatten the chicken breast to roughly the uniform thickness.
Combine olive oil, brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder in a medium bowl.
Mix the spices well to combine.
Arrange the chicken breasts on a baking dish and coat with the oil and seasoning mixture on all sides.
Brush the BBQ sauce onto the chicken on both sides.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. (I love using this wireless probe to avoid overcooking the chicken.)
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Expert Tips:
- Buy chicken breasts that are all a similar size. This helps with even cooking of the meat so that one piece doesn’t cook faster than the other causing it to dry out.
- Pounding the chicken breasts thin is key to keeping baked chicken moist. This is our secret to keeping boneless chicken nice and juicy. We promise it works!
- Use a meat thermometer to determine when the chicken is done cooking. You want to remove it from the oven when it reaches 160ºF to make sure you don’t overcook the chicken, or it can become rubbery and dry.
- Make extra of the spice mix. I like to make a double batch to store in the pantry. It’s delicious also sprinkled on salmon, ribs, and pork tenderloin.
Making barbecue chicken breasts on the grill or stovetop
This is the easy oven method, hassle-free and done in a single baking dish. I’ve also made this recipe on the grill and the stovetop. Just continue with the same method of pounding the breasts first. Then allow the chicken to cook over medium-high heat (in a skillet on the stove) until lightly charred and the rub has caramelized, about 4 minutes per side.
Brush on the barbecue sauce during the last couple of minutes of cooking, and allow it to warm through and become nice and glossy.
What to serve with barbecue baked chicken breasts
I’ve paired this chicken recipe with so many side dishes. My top recommendations include:
Storage
Store any cooked leftover bbq chicken breasts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until fully warmed through.
You can also freeze the cooked chicken as well. Just make sure you place it into an airtight container or wrap well in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge then heat through in microwave or oven until fully warmed.
FAQs
Since our chicken is pounded thin before baking, we put the sauce on prior to baking since the cook time is so quick. If you aren’t pounding your chicken breasts, then add the sauce towards the end of cooking.
Our secret is to pound the chicken thin to make it quicker to cook and also not as tough to the bite. If you don’t want to pound your chicken, then we recommend using smaller bone-in chicken breasts.
We pound our chicken thin so that it cooks quickly and evenly making for a juicy and tender bite.
More delicious chicken recipes
Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts Note 1
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ cup BBQ sauce more if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Using a meat pounder, flatten the chicken breast to roughly the uniform thickness.
- In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, brown sugar, salt, paprika, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Mix well.
- Arrange the chicken breasts on a baking dish and coat with the oil and seasoning mixture on all sides.
- Brush on the BBQ sauce over the chicken, on both sides.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160°F. (I love using this wireless probe to avoid overcooking the chicken.)
- Rest the chicken for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
– Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
– Reheat in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until fully warmed through.
– To freeze, wrap in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container. Freeze for up to 2 months.
– To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, then heat through in the microwave or oven until fully warm.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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