No matter how you spell it, barbecue, bar-b-que or any of the other
forms of it, and no matter whether you cook it in the oven, on the grill
or on ‘the barbie’, barbecued chicken can take on many forms and please
many palettes.
Unlike barbecuing in Texas or St. Louis, this recipe isn’t about
gathering the exact right wood, making sure the coals are perfect or
even the perfect sauce. This recipe is mostly for those that enjoy
barbecued chicken but don’t want to make a big deal out of preparing it
or maybe for those cold days when you would prefer to cook indoors.
But first, a few words about barbecue sauce. Most sauces come in one of
two forms: tomato based and vinegar based. Tomato based sauces come in
all kinds of flavors from hickory and mesquite flavor to garlic and
honey flavor.
Most vinegar based sauces taste about the same with just a little
variance. Choosing one or the other is a matter of preference or
availability. There are two really good ones available: Wicker’s
Barbecue Sauce and Stubb’s Moppin’ Sauce. Both can be found by searching
the internet.
Oven Barbecued Chicken
Part of this recipe is going to be up to you. You probably have a
favorite barbeque already, but if not you can just pick on out at the
grocery store that looks appealing to you. There are tons of them so if
you can’t make up your mind just cover your eyes and reach out and grab
one. Or, you can try one of the vinegar based sauces mentioned
previously.
1 whole chicken cut up
1 bottle of barbeque sauce
Salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Spray a shallow aluminum baking with non-stick spray and place the
pieces of chicken in the pan. Try not to get them too close together.
Pour about ½ the barbeque sauce on the pieces of chicken and spread the
sauce around to cover the chicken well. It’s easiest just to use your
hands. Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. If you like pepper put a
good amount on for more flavor.
Turn the pieces of chicken over and spread the other half of the sauce
on the chicken and add more salt and pepper.
Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and place the chicken in
the oven. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. If you want, you can
check it at 1 hour to see if it is done by sticking a knife in a piece
or two and see if the juices run clear. Also, you may be able to take
the breasts out and set them aside, then let the rest of the pieces cook
the other 15 minutes. This will keep the breasts from getting too dry.
This barbeque chicken goes well with coleslaw and cold potato salad.
