Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
Baked BBQ chicken breast is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that is always a winner. The chicken is smothered in bbq sauce then baked for 30 minutes. It turns out tender, juicy, and delicious every time. If you're looking for an oven baked bbq chicken breast recipe, this is the one that you want to make!
If you love bbq flavor, also check out our BBQ chicken quesadilla and BBQ crockpot chicken chili.
This recipe is the chicken breast version of our popular baked bbq chicken thighs. It's all about the sweet and sticky bbq sauce that coats the chicken and creates a delicious sauce as it cooks.
The chicken turns out tender and juicy and absolutely smothered in a thick and caramelized bbq sauce.
It's an incredibly easy recipe that you can reach for on busy weekday evenings and know that it will be a hit at your dinner table!
And if you make your own bbq sauce (it's easy!) then you can skip the refined sugars and turn this into a healthy recipe.
Common Questions about baked bbq chicken breast
There will be enough sauce in the baking dish to spoon some over the chicken breasts when you serve them.
We love to make our own homemade BBQ sauce so we can control the sugar and other ingredients. If you have a favorite store-bought BBQ sauce – use that! Sweet Baby Ray's is a popular choice.
Chicken thighs cook differently than chicken breasts. If you want to use thighs, we recommend using our baked BBQ chicken recipe.
Some chicken breasts are injected with water to make them look larger. This water is released during cooking which can water down the sauce. If this happens to you, pour the sauce into a small pan and boil it rapidly over high heat for a few minutes so it thickens.
When chicken breast is ready to eat, the meat will be completely white on the inside. Using an instant-read meat thermometer is the best way to check the chicken. Knowing the exact temperature helps ensure that you don't overcook the chicken, which is essential if you want it to remain juicy. Once the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, it is fully cooked and safe to eat.
Popular baked chicken recipes
- Perfect Baked Chicken Breasts
- Healthy Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Baked Sesame Orange Chicken
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
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Prep Time: 10 mins
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Cook Time: 30 mins
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Total Time: 40 minutes
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Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Method: Baked
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Cuisine: North American
Description
Baked BBQ chicken breast is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that is always a winner. The chicken is smothered in bbq sauce then baked for 30 minutes. It turns out tender, juicy, and delicious every time!
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, pounded (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 1 cup bbq sauce, storebought or homemade for refined sugar-free
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish and sprinkle the tops with salt and pepper. Pour the BBQ sauce over top then shake the pan a little so that the chicken is well coated.
- Bake the chicken for 15 minutes. Baste the tops with some of the BBQ sauce in that baking dish then return it to the oven and continue to bake the chicken for another 15 minutes, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Notes
While you can skip the step of pounding the chicken, it does make the chicken cook more evenly. To pound chicken breasts, place them one at a time between parchment paper. Place a cloth on top then use a rubber mallet or rolling pin to gently pound them until they are an even thickness. You don't want them thin for this recipe.
Hi Kristen,
I am so glad that I found this recipe! I love BBQ chicken on the grill and have really been missing it this winter. I am going to make this over the weekend. Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Turned out amazing!!!!
Best BBQ Chicken Recipe. Fast and delicious. Love it. I can make it in the oven which is great. Thank you.
★★★★★
Simple and delicious. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Most recipes don’t indicate if you should cover while baking. Is it rule of thumb, if it doesn’t indicate “covering” you should not cover?
★★★★
That’s right, no need to cover the chicken while it bakes!
This turned out great. The chicken was very moist and it was so easy to make. Will definitely make it again!
★★★★★