Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs

These BBQ Chicken Thighs are so tasty and juicy. Start with mixing your dry rub them rubbing them on the thighs. Bake and then smother in BBQ sauce.

Ingredients:

• Chicken Thighs
• BBQ Sauce (use your favorite brand)

BBQ Dry Rub:

For this recipe I like to keep it really simple with the rub. Since I use BBQ sauce we don't need to much and I don't want it to sweet. This is what I put in mine:

• salt
• garlic powder
• chili powder
• pepper
• smoked paprika.

Step one: Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F. Then prepare a baking sheet with foil and pat chicken dry with a paper towel and set aside.

• Tip: I sometimes use a baking rack to keep chicken out of the dripping. This will help you get a really crispy skin. 

Step two: In a small bowl mix all seasonings together. Coat chicken thighs in your dry rub and place on a baking rack. Bake for 40 minutes turning once about half way through.

Step three: Remove chicken from the oven and brush with BBQ sauce.

• Tip: For a crispy skin place the chicken baked into the oven on broil for a few minutes. Keep an eye on them they should not need more than 2-3 minutes. 

Why use chicken thighs?

Chicken thighs are a great juicy dark meat cut of the chicken. Unlike breasts they are typically all the same size and cook evenly throughout. The dark meat also has great flavor and they really hold in the juice. Sometimes chicken breasts have a tendency to get dry in baking, but with thighs they are smaller and do not dry out as fast even if you cook a little longer than planned.

Should I marinade in the BBQ Sauce?

Nope, there is no need to marinade in a sauce when you have the dry rub. You can rub these thighs down a day in advance if you want and the rub will do all the work for you! If you marinade in a sweet sauce like BBQ Sauce the sugar in it will cause the skin to burn quicker in the oven.