This 30 Minute Baked BBQ Chicken Breast is a summer recipe you can enjoy all year long! Chicken breast is slathered in a sweet, smoky, savory spice blend, covered in BBQ sauce, then baked until tender and juicy.
Who doesn’t love a great BBQ recipe? And this 30-Minute Baked BBQ Chicken Breast recipe a super easy, no-frills, delicious way to satisfy that BBQ craving.
This recipe starts with chicken breast that’s coated in seasonings, seared in a skillet, then brushed with BBQ sauce and baked until juicy and tender.
It’s simple and quick to make and comes out of the oven with the perfect BBQ flavor!
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Simple ingredients – Chicken, a super simple spice blend, olive oil, and your favorite BBQ sauce. This BBQ chicken is delicious and made with pantry staples!
- 5-minute prep – This recipes takes just 30 minutes, start to finish, with just 5 minutes of hands-on time.
- Versatile – Serve this chicken as an entree with any of your favorite BBQ sides or chop it up and serve it as part of another recipe.
- Family friendly – Create a meal in minutes that the whole family will love! Whip this up as an easy dinner or serve it at your next summer get-together.
Recipe Notes
This baked BBQ chicken recipe is as simple as promised! Just 5 minutes of prep for a family friendly meal.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make oven baked BBQ chicken to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chicken Breast – You’ll need 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast. This usually comes out to be 3-4
- Spices – Our spice rub is made with a combination of chili powder, brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cumin.
- Olive Oil – You’ll need olive oil to sear the chicken before baking.
- BBQ Sauce – Use your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce or whip up a batch of homemade BBQ sauce.
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Honey BBQ Baked Chicken – Add a drizzle of honey to the chicken along with the BBQ sauce to make it a little bit sweeter.
- Spicy BBQ Chicken – Add a bit of heat to your chicken by adding some cayenne pepper to your spice rub.
- Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs – Swap the chicken breasts out for chicken thighs if preferred. Keep in mind that chicken thighs will cook at a different rate than chicken breasts, so adjust accordingly and be sure not to over-cook!
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make baked BBQ chicken breast.
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cumin.
2. Sprinkle the spice blend all over the chicken breast, then rub it all over to evenly coat.
3. In a large oven-safe skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Once hot, add in the chicken beast and cook for 1-2 minutes per side to sear.
4. Brush the outside of the seared chicken with BBQ sauce, then transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 375ºF until the internal temperature is 165ºF.
Recipe Tips
- No oven-safe skillet? – You can sear the chicken in a regular skillet, then transfer it to a baking dish or baking sheet.
- Don’t over-bake! – Since chicken breast is lean, it can over-bake and dry out quickly. I recommend checking it early, then adding time as needed. It should be 165ºF.
- Let it rest before serving – Give the chicken about 5 minutes to rest after baking to let the juices and flavor settle back into the meat. Slicing into it too soon can create a dry texture.
Recipe Short Cuts
If you need to make this recipe, but are extra short on time, here are a few ideas that can help make this recipe even faster!
- Use store-bought BBQ sauce – While I do love my homemade BBQ sauce recipe, if I’m shorter on time I opt for my favorite store-bought variety. Feel free to do the same!
- Bake and store the chicken – To get way ahead, you can bake the chicken, let it cool, then store it in the refrigerator or freezer. To reheat, simply let it thaw if it’s frozen, then warm it in the oven.
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this BBQ oven baked chicken recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To freeze before cooking
- Prepare the spice blend and season the chicken as directed, but don’t sear.
- Place the chicken into a freezer-safe, ziplock bag, then store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to bake, simply thaw it in the refrigerator, then proceed with the recipe as instructed.
How to Freeze baked BBQ Chicken After Cooking
- Let the chicken cool completely, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container or ziplock bag.
- Store in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- When you’re ready to serve again, let the chicken thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then warm it at 350ºF in the oven until heated through. Be sure not over-bake so as not to dry the chicken out.
What to Serve with Oven Baked BBQ Chicken
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of BBQ, it will pair well with many of your favorite summer side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Creamy Southern Coleslaw – Coleslaw is a summer classic. So, naturally, it goes perfectly with BBQ chicken. This recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep and is a total hit with any crowd.
- Deviled Egg Potato Salad – This creamy potato salad is made for anything BBQ. It features fluffy bites of potato tossed in a creamy, tangy mayo and mustard dressing with all your favorite mix-ins.
- Homemade Buttermilk Cornbread – This cornbread is a classic made to perfection. It’s moist, tender, and perfect served next to homemade BBQ chicken breast.
- Oven Roasted Green Beans – Keep it light with these easy roasted green beans! Just 4 simple ingredients and a few minutes needed for a tasty side dish that will have the whole family eating their veggies.
Baked BBQ Chicken Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer 2-3 months
Leftover Recipes
Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- BBQ Chicken Flatbread Pizza – Take BBQ night leftovers and use them for pizza night with this BBQ chicken flatbread pizza. It’s made with naan flatbread topped with BBQ sauce, shredded cheese, shredded chicken, and onion.
- Cheesy Bacon BBQ Chicken Bake – Reheat your leftovers in the oven topped with cheddar cheese, onion, crumbled bacon, and green onions to create the most delicious meal.
- BBQ Chicken Flautas – These BBQ chicken flautas are a family favorite! They’re made with shredded BBQ chicken rolled up in a tortilla with Monterey jack cheese, black beans, and corn.
- Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders – Shred the chicken up while it’s warm and serve it on Hawaiian rolls with onion and melty cheddar cheese.
- BBQ Chicken Nachos – Loaded BBQ chicken nachos are cheesy, saucy, easy to make, and can feed a crowd.
- BBQ Chicken Tostadas – Just 8 ingredients and 20 minutes for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner!
Recipe FAQ’s
Do you put BBQ sauce on chicken before or after baking?
You’ll put the BBQ sauce on the chicken after searing it, but before baking. Covering the chicken in BBQ sauce before it goes in the oven allows it to soak into the meat for a better texture and flavor.
What temp should BBQ chicken be cooked at?
I cook the chicken at 375ºF and it comes out perfectly! It’s hot enough to maintain the crispy exterior, but not so hot that the chicken dries out before it’s cooked all the way through.
More EASY BBQ Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy dinner recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite BBQ recipes below.
Baked BBQ Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless, chicken breast, 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup BBQ Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375˚F.
- Combine the chili powder, brown sugar, paprika, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and cumin in a dish and mix together. Rub the chicken all over with the seasoning mix.
- In a large oven safe skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breast to the skillet. Let cook 1-2 minutes or until seared, then flip to the other side and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Brush BBQ sauce on both sides of the chicken, then transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (165˚F). Let rest for 5 minutes, then serve warm.*If your skillet is not oven safe, brush the chicken with BBQ sauce and transfer to a baking sheet to finish cooking in the oven.
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