America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Indoor Barbecued Chicken

By Matthew Fairman

Published on August 14, 2017

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Indoor Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder 1 ½ teaspoons packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon ground cumin 3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (either split breasts or thighs), trimmed2 tablespoons vegetable oil ½ cup finely chopped onion ¼ cup water ⅔ cup ketchup 3 tablespoons molasses 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 2 teaspoons cider vinegar ½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Before You Begin

We call for using either all white meat or all dark meat chicken in this recipe because they cook at different rates. This roughly comes out to either 4 breasts or 8 thighs, but use overall weight as your guide. If you choose to use a combination of both, you may have to remove some pieces from the oven before all the pieces are done to avoid overcooking. If you don’t feel like making your own barbecue sauce, you can substitute 1 cup of your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce in step 3. Just pour off all remaining fat from the skillet and omit the onions.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chili powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin in bowl. Sprinkle chicken all over with spice mixture.
  2. Heat oil in ovensafe 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to plate.
  3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add onion and 2 tablespoons water and cook until onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, mustard, vinegar, liquid smoke, and remaining 2 tablespoons water and bring to simmer.
  4. Return chicken to skillet and turn to coat with sauce. Flip chicken skin side up. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until breasts register 155 degrees or thighs register 170 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes for breasts or 20 to 25 minutes for thighs.
  5. Remove skillet from oven and heat broiler. Broil until chicken is charred in spots and breasts register 160 degrees or thighs register 175 degrees, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Whisk sauce in skillet to recombine. Serve, passing sauce separately.
Indoor Barbecued Chicken

Indoor Barbecued Chicken

Save

Time

1¼ hours

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (either split breasts or thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup water
⅔ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (either split breasts or thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup water
⅔ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 ½ teaspoons chili powder
1 ½ teaspoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (either split breasts or thighs), trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
¼ cup water
⅔ cup ketchup
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
½ teaspoon liquid smoke

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

Fire-kissed, tangy barbecued chicken is one of the purest delights of summertime, but must we give it up when fall arrives? So many recipes for oven-barbecued chicken disappoint, offering soggy-skinned poultry bathed in store-bought barbecue sauce. To turn this dish around and deliver indoor barbecued chicken with crispy skin that tastes like it just came off the grill, we applied a potent dry spice rub before searing the chicken to render fat, crisp the skin, and develop flavorful browning. Then we brushed the chicken with a quick and easy barbecue sauce while it cooked to give it a sweet, tangy, glossy glaze. A touch of good-quality liquid smoke (made of just water and hickory smoke) and a quick blast under the broiler provided the chargrilled flavor we were after.

Before You Begin

We call for using either all white meat or all dark meat chicken in this recipe because they cook at different rates. This roughly comes out to either 4 breasts or 8 thighs, but use overall weight as your guide. If you choose to use a combination of both, you may have to remove some pieces from the oven before all the pieces are done to avoid overcooking. If you don’t feel like making your own barbecue sauce, you can substitute 1 cup of your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce in step 3. Just pour off all remaining fat from the skillet and omit the onions.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine chili powder, sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cumin in bowl. Sprinkle chicken all over with spice mixture.
  2. Heat oil in ovensafe 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until browned on second side, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to plate.
  3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and return to medium heat. Add onion and 2 tablespoons water and cook until onion is softened, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, mustard, vinegar, liquid smoke, and remaining 2 tablespoons water and bring to simmer.
  4. Return chicken to skillet and turn to coat with sauce. Flip chicken skin side up. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until breasts register 155 degrees or thighs register 170 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes for breasts or 20 to 25 minutes for thighs.
  5. Remove skillet from oven and heat broiler. Broil until chicken is charred in spots and breasts register 160 degrees or thighs register 175 degrees, 2 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter and let rest for 5 minutes. Whisk sauce in skillet to recombine. Serve, passing sauce separately.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

This is a members' feature.