Barbecue Chicken Thighs
Posted on 06 August 2010
This is honestly the most simple recipe you will ever see… I almost feel guilty for putting it up! But it came in so super handy when I had some boneless skinless chicken thighs recently. I made the Kansas City-style Barbecue Sauce with no exact meal in mind for it, knowing that it was an all-purpose sauce for grilling, marinating and cooking with. The evening I made the sauce I decided to try out simply baking the chicken in the sauce and what a surprise – success! I told you this sauce was versatile!
This is the perfect way to take a low-cost, but in my opinion one of the tastiest, meat and make it into something fantastic so easily. This meal only took half an hour to pull together but tasted as though the chicken had been marinating for hours. The meat was still juicy and tender and the sauce complimented both the sides I made. I served this with fresh corn on the cob, boiled with a teaspoon of sugar and a splash of milk, which I put a little pat of butter on for some extra summer goodness and Potato Salad, made with red peppers and scallions and a mayonnaise-mustard dressing.
Notes: This recipe would work equally well if you grill the meat too. Just cook the chicken over a medium heat grill for about 6 minutes on each side, making sure it is cooked through. Pull it off the grill when it is just done.
Baked Barbecue Chicken Thighs, serves 3 as an entree
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup Kansas City-style Barbecue Sauce, cooled or room temperature
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Place chicken thighs in a 9 by 9 inch baking dish and add barbecue sauce. Turn to coat completely and allow to sit at room temperature while oven is heating. Turn occasionally.
2. Place baking dish in oven, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove dish from oven and using tongs, turn chicken pieces. Place back into oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
3. Turn broiler onto high and place baking dish underneath. Broil for 2 minutes until chicken gets a slight crust. Remove chicken pieces to serving plate. Return the sauce in the baking dish back under the broiler while you plate the rest of your meal. Pour some sauce over the chicken before serving.
5 responses to Barbecue Chicken Thighs
[…] }); }After last week’s Barbecue Chicken Thighs this may be the second easiest recipe I have posted on this site. I made both of them at the same […]
um, covered or uncovered?
Hi Whodidat, I cook these uncovered. Keep an eye on them to make sure that there is enough sauce on them but I have never had a problem with them cooking to quickly or running out of sauce. Let me know if you have any more questions. Happy cooking, Vienna*
For some reason the sauce is very runny; I used the organic boneless chicken thighs from Costco, and I wonder if they are pumped full of salt, water, etc. Also, I sort of packed them into a 9″x13″glass pan; I did more like 9 thighs as well.
Is it because I packed them too closely together that they gave off so much liquid? I have noticed in the past that if I cook filets or sear beef or lamb for a stew, if they are close together they end up steaming instead of sauteeing. Maybe this is the same thing? I wonder why it did that; I really wanted to have the thighs with a nice thick sauce on them. Right now, though, I’ve got the pan with the runny sauce under the broiler, determined to cook it down to a thicker sauce!
Hello Sandra, I would guess that it is because the chicken may be syringed with salt solution to add weight to the meat, as you suggested. This can be alleviated by putting the chicken in a larger pan but you may require more sauce to cover the pieces enough to cook. I would remove the chicken once it has cooked through and then try to reduce the sauce as best you can. Either under the broiler or by pouring it into a pan and boiling it on the stovetop. The sauce should remain basically the same consistency from when you first make it to serving it. I know that organic chicken is pricey but it is worth it. I buy in bulk when it is on sale and freeze in ones and two in freezer bags. Hope this helps! Please write in any other questions you have. Happy cooking, Vienna*