Baked BBQ Chicken Breast (4 ingredient recipe!)

Baked BBQ chicken breast is an easy weeknight dinner recipe that is always a winner. The chicken is smothered in BBQ sauce and 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!

This baked BBQ chicken breast is the chicken breast version of my popular baked BBQ chicken thighs, and it’s every bit as easy and delicious. The chicken bakes in a generous layer of BBQ sauce that thickens and caramelizes in the oven, creating a sweet, sticky glaze and plenty of extra sauce for spooning over everything on your plate.

One of the biggest challenges with chicken breasts is keeping them juicy, and this recipe does exactly that. The BBQ sauce helps lock in moisture while the oven transforms it into a rich, glossy coating packed with smoky-sweet flavor. The result is tender chicken that’s anything but boring.

This is the kind of dependable dinner I reach for on busy weeknights when I want something simple that everyone will happily eat. Serve it with potatoes, rice, corn on the cob, a salad, or your favorite vegetables for an easy meal that always feels like a win.

Step up this recipe by making your own BBQ sauce (it’s easy!)

Why is the sauce runny? Some chicken breasts are injected with water to make them look larger. This water is released during cooking and can water down the sauce. If this happens to you, pour the sauce into a small pan and boil rapidly over high heat for a few minutes to thicken.

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Baked BBQ Chicken Breast (4 ingredient recipe!)

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

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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!

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 chicken breasts (pounded – see notes)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 cup bbq sauce (storebought or homemade)

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.
  4 chicken breasts, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper, 1 cup bbq sauce
• 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. 

Video

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 gently pound them with a rubber mallet or rolling pin until they are an even thickness. You don’t want them to be too thin for this recipe. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 chicken breast plus ¼ of the sauce, Calories: 381kcal (19%), Carbohydrates: 29g (10%), Protein: 49g (98%), Fat: 6g (9%), Saturated Fat: 1g (6%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 145mg (48%), Sodium: 1287mg (56%), Potassium: 1002mg (29%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 24g (27%), Vitamin A: 228IU (5%), Vitamin C: 3mg (4%), Calcium: 35mg (4%), Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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