Oven baked bbq chicken is a quick and easy meal perfect for any weeknight dinner. Baked and brushed with your favorite BBQ sauce. You already know it’s going to be good!
Your family will love these bbq chicken tenders, and it’s not hard to see why. BBQ sauce is always a fast and easy topping for chicken, and with so many flavorful possibilities, you can really pair it with just about any side dish imaginable.
Why BBQ Chicken in the Oven works:
- Minimal ingredients. You only need 2 ingredients to pull this recipe together, and there are very few steps to follow as well, making this a recipe with minimal ingredients and effort.
- It’s fast! If you are looking for a quick and delicious dinner, making bbq chicken tenders in the oven is your answer! I love making this on a busy day. It’s done in less than 30 minutes, and the whole family will love it, promise!
- Juicy chicken. Hidden away inside that caramelized BBQ sauce coating is a wonderfully juicy tender chicken that will leave you craving that next bite.
Baked BBQ Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken tenders
- BBQ sauce
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to make BBQ Chicken in the Oven
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
- Place your chicken tenders onto the baking sheet and baste well with BBQ sauce to evenly coat all sides of the chicken.
- Bake in the oven 10 minutes.
- Flip the chicken over and baste more sauce onto the chicken.
- Bake for another 10 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches at least 165 degrees F on an instant read thermometer.
Oven BBQ Chicken Tips
The chicken will be finished cooking when you can insert an instant-read thermometer and have it come out at 165 degrees F. If desired, you can use an oven-safe thermometer to keep an eye on the chicken as it bakes so that it is removed when the internal temperature has been reached.
How to store Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
You can store any leftover cooked chicken in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you like to meal plan, you can whip up a big batch of this BBQ chicken and portion it out for tasty meals throughout the week.
Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
I don’t recommend making this recipe ahead of time. Reheating chicken can make it rubbery and tough. If you shred the chicken after it’s cooked and reheat it in some BBQ sauce, it will stay moist and delicious.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Yes, you can freeze BBQ chicken. Store it in an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. Reheat by shredding and warming through in some additional BBQ sauce in a pan.
How to serve Baked BBQ Chicken
Need some ideas for what to serve with your oven-baked chicken tenders (no breading)? These chicken pieces would be fabulous with just about anything!
- Moist Cornbread
- No Knead Rolls
- Canned Green Beans with Bacon
- Brown Sugar Roasted Carrots
- Corn Tomato Salad
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
FAQs for BBQ Chicken in Oven
You can make this recipe using homemade BBQ sauce or store-bought. It turns out great either way. I love my homemade BBQ sauce for any recipe, but it is especially delicious on chicken.
I recommend using chicken tenders for this oven BBQ chicken or slicing chicken breasts in smaller pieces. This allows the chicken to cook quickly and evenly without drying out.
I also recommend basting the chicken halfway through with more BBQ sauce. This makes sure that every surface is coated in sticky goodness.
Not all chicken tenders are the same size, so it’s important to keep an eye on them, especially during the last few minutes of baking. You may not need all of the baking time and overcooking the chicken will result in dry chicken, which we do not want to happen.
The high oven temperature will caramelize the BBQ sauce a little bit. This is exactly what you want! It really brings out the BBQ flavor.
Chicken tenders are small so they don’t take long to bake in the oven, about 20 minutes.
Yes, I think the chicken turns out with more flavor when the BBQ sauce is put on before baking and then again halfway through.
BBQ chicken is baked at 425ºF. This temperature allows the chicken to bake through while the BBQ sauce lightly caramelizes on the outside.
More favorites from Longbourn Farm
Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- Baste chicken tenders with BBQ sauce and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Turn each chicken tender over and baste again.
- Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the centers register 165ºF.
Rebecca says
My son only asks for Chicken for dinner! That’s all he wants to eat. This looks like a fun and easy BBQ Chicken Recipe.
Alli says
It’s super easy! I bet he would love it.
Britni says
I loved how easy & quick this recipe it. Thank you for sharing!
Alli says
Thanks for checking it out!
Jennifer says
This is my favorite BBQ chicken recipe! So good!
Alli says
Yay! Glad to hear it.
Alli says
Such an easy great dinner!