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Oven BBQ Chicken in a baking dish on a cloth.
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5 from 3 votes

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

Chicken is baked in a made from scratch cranberry-orange BBQ sauce until fork tender. This Oven Baked BBQ Chicken is a rustic, satisfying meal anytime of year.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 405kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 14 ounce can jellied cranberry sauce
  • 15 ounce can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice
  • 6 to 8 meaty bone-in chicken pieces
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley optional garnish

Instructions

Cranberry-Orange BBQ Sauce

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over LOW heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for another minute. Add the cranberry sauce, tomato sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, black pepper, orange juice, and orange zest. Increase the heat to MEDIUM-HIGH and bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce the heat to LOW and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Baked BBQ Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Remove and discard the skin from the chicken pieces and transfer to prepared baking dish, meaty side up. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Remove the foil and use a spoon to remove most of the cooking liquid from the pan. Pour about half of the BBQ sauce over the chicken (reserve remaining sauce for serving) and using kitchen tongs, flip the pieces over to coat both sides well with sauce making sure they end up meaty side up before going back in the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and return the baking dish to the oven for an additional 30 to 35 minutes. Check occasionally and spoon some of the sauce from bottom of dish over the chicken. Remove from the oven when the thickest piece of chicken registers an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F when measured with an instant read thermometer.
  • Serve with additional sauce on the side.

Notes

Make-Ahead Tip
The sauce can be made a day or two in advance, if desired. Allow it to cool slightly and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Storage
Promptly refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days. Leftovers can be consumed cold or reheat the chicken in the microwave for about 2 minutes, or just until warmed through.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 405kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 593mg | Potassium: 730mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 766IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg