Hamdi Saidani This Pioneer Woman Barbecue Chicken Thighs is a saucy and tender recipe, which is made with your favorite BBQ sauce and sweet peach preserves. It’s a classic, foolproof recipe, ready in about an hour.
Pioneer Woman Barbecue Chicken Thighs Ingredients
- 3 cups your favorite BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup peach preserves
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- Hot sauce, optional
- Olive oil for brushing
- 12 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
How To Make Pioneer Woman Barbecue Chicken Thighs
- Make the barbecue sauce: In a medium saucepan, combine the BBQ sauce, peach preserves, grated garlic, and a dash of hot sauce, if using. Heat the sauce over medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes until it’s warmed through. Set aside.
- Prep the oven and chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Drizzle olive oil on two foil-lined rimmed baking sheets. Place the chicken thighs skin-side down on the pans and sprinkle them evenly with salt and pepper.
- Roast the chicken: Place the baking sheets in the oven and roast for 25 minutes.
- Sauce and flip: Remove the pans from the oven. Brush the bottoms of the thighs with the prepared barbecue sauce, then use a spatula to flip them over so they are skin-side up.
- Continue saucing and baking: Brush the skin side with more sauce and return to the oven for 7 minutes. Remove, brush with more sauce, and return to the oven for another 7 minutes.
- Final roast and rest: Remove the pans one last time, brush with sauce, and increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Roast for a final 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and the chicken is fully cooked. Let the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Recipe Tips
- How to get crispy skin? Starting the chicken skin-side down helps to render the fat. The final blast of high heat at 425°F helps to caramelize the sauce and crisp up the skin.
- Can I use boneless, skinless thighs? Yes, but you will need to reduce the total cooking time to about 20-25 minutes. You can sauce them earlier in the cooking process.
- What kind of BBQ sauce is best? Any brand you love will work perfectly. A classic smoky or a sweet and tangy sauce both pair wonderfully with the peach preserves.
- Can I make this on the grill? Absolutely. Grill the chicken over indirect heat until almost cooked through. During the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, move it to direct heat and begin brushing it with the sauce, flipping frequently to prevent burning.
What To Serve With Barbecue Chicken Thighs
This saucy chicken is perfect with all the classic barbecue sides.
- Creamy coleslaw
- Macaroni and cheese
- Cornbread with honey butter
- Baked beans
- A simple potato salad
How To Store Barbecue Chicken Thighs
- Refrigerate: Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: You can freeze the cooked chicken for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Barbecue Chicken Thighs Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 chicken thigh
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Fat: 20g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Protein: 24g
Nutrition information is estimated and may vary based on ingredients and cooking methods used.
FAQs
Why add peach preserves to the BBQ sauce?
The peach preserves add a lovely sweetness and fruity note that complements the smoky and tangy flavors of the barbecue sauce, creating a more complex and delicious glaze.
Do I have to line the baking sheet with foil?
It is highly recommended. The sugary sauce will caramelize and burn onto the pan, making cleanup very difficult. The foil makes cleanup a breeze.
Why let the chicken rest before serving?
Letting the chicken rest for at least 10 minutes after it comes out of the hot oven allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. If you cut into it immediately, the juices will run out, resulting in a drier piece of chicken.
Try More Pioneer Woman Recipes:
- Pioneer Woman Marry Me Chicken Recipe
- Pioneer Woman Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
- Pioneer Woman Chicken Cacciatore Slow Cooker Recipe
Pioneer Woman Barbecue Chicken Thighs Recipe
Description
Incredibly juicy and tender oven-baked chicken thighs are repeatedly basted in a sweet and tangy peach-barbecue sauce until sticky and caramelized.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Simmer BBQ sauce, peach preserves, and garlic in a saucepan for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place chicken skin-side down on a foil-lined, oiled baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven, brush sauce on the bottom, then flip the chicken skin-side up.
- Brush skin with sauce. Bake for 7 minutes. Repeat this step one more time.
- Brush with sauce again, increase oven to 425°F, and bake for a final 5-7 minutes until caramelized.
- Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- u003cliu003eDon’t be shy with the sauce! The repeated basting is what creates the delicious, sticky glaze.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003ePatting the chicken skin dry before seasoning can help it get crispier during the initial roast.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eThis recipe is easily scalable for a larger crowd. Just use more chicken and sauce.u003c/liu003eu003cliu003eThe final high-heat roast is key to getting the sauce bubbly and slightly charred at the edges.u003c/liu003e
