Oven-Baked Bar-B-Q Chicken

Last night I was in desperate need of an easy recipe for a LARGE pack of chicken thighs that were taking up room in my freezer. I came across this finger licken recipe at The Hungry Mouse. It is so easy and so delicious. J could not get enough!


Here is a more edited version of how I did her recipe. For her full version (her BBQ sauce that she used etc.) click on her link above. How delicious does this look?! I would fix it again tonight!



Through out the recipe there are picturs of her leg quarters. I used thighs but really any part of the chicken will do.

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

4 chicken leg quarters (or thighs or whatever piece you like)
kosher salt
spray canola oil
3/4 – 1 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Serves 2

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken:  Prep

Line a sheet pan with foil. Set a rack in the pan. Set aside while you sear the chicken. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.



Grab your chicken leg quarters.



Give them a rinse and pat them dry.


Set a nonstick pan on the stove over high heat and spray with a little canola oil. Let it heat up for a minute or two.



Oven Baked BBQ Chicken:  Sear the Chicken

When the pan is hot, drop in a few of the chicken leg quarters, skin-side down. You don’t want to crowd the pan (or your chicken will steam, not sear), so do this in a few batches.



With my thighs I was able to fit four into a pan. Searing them really adds flavor and makes them gorgeous to look at before you enhale them!

Cook them on high like this for a few minutes, until the skin is nice and brown, like this. You’re going to make a little smoke. That’s just fine. ( I made A LOT of smoke )



When the skin is browned, transfer the chicken to your prepared pan. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. (I only brown the skin side. I find that intense high heat on the skinless underside can dry the meat out a little.)



Oven Baked BBQ Chicken:  Brush with Sauce

When all your chicken is browned, you’re ready to coat it in barbecue sauce. Put the sauce in a medium-sized bowl so it’s easier to work with.



Using a brush, paint each piece of chicken on all sides with barbecue sauce.







Oven Baked BBQ Chicken: Bake for 15 min and brush with more sauce

When each piece of chicken is coated, pop the pan into your preheated 375 degree oven. Bake like this for 15 minutes.



After about 15 minutes, yank the pan out of the oven. Your chicken should look about like this. (The color will vary based on the sauce you use and how much sugar is in it…the more sugar, the darker it will likely be.)



Brush with the remaining barbecue sauce, covering each piece on all sides again.





When the chicken is coated again, pop the pan back into the oven. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes more, until they’re cooked through completely. (Your chicken should be in the oven for a total of 45-50 minutes.) Even with my small thighs, I cooked them for this amount of time and they were perfectly juicy.



After 30-35 minutes, they should have a nice crust. If you’re a meat thermometer type, you want a reading of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken (without touching a bone).



Transfer to a serving platter.



Sprinkle with chopped cilantro. ( I skipped the cilantro because I did not have any)



Serve and enjoy!



I know this is a very beginner/step by step process, but I am on that level of cooking and this was delicious! I served them will butter beans and potatoes. We ate like kings for a small price!!
Try this out and let me know how you like it!

Quick, Budget Friendly Work Out

One thing I learned, and expected, was that all that lovely weight that was lost to get into the fabulous wedding dress comes back quickly! I love the comfortable and secure feeling I have about myself in my marriage, but my pants are not longer comfortable. J and I decided that it was time to get back in shape since neither of us can afford new wardrobes. Mr. google found us two easy workouts that are high cardio, 15 minute calorie burners!

The first one is the Kettle Ball Swing :

This is a great workout that can be done with various weight and repetitions. Our workout suggested using a 15lb kettle ball and doing 15 workdown reps (first time you do 15, second is 14, third is 13, etc. You can reverse order too). We do this workout in alternating reps with the next workout I am about to show you. My first time I had to start at about six reps because I was so out of shape.

Kettle Ball Form:

1. You want to have a flat back with a natural arch when you squat.

2. When swinging the kettle ball between your legs, you want to swing it in the high thigh area. If you swing close to your knees your back and shoulders curve.

3. Swing it forward to shoulderish height. Squeeze your butt and hold your shoulders back.

The second one is the Squat Thrust:

Wow! This is a tough workout! It looks easy breezy but this is a big cardio workout! Like I said, we alternate the kettle ball swing sets with these, (kettle ball, squat thurst, kettle ball, squat thrust). You do these reps the same as the kettle ball. If you are feeling brave, or are in better shape than me, you can jazz this up. When you get into the plank position, do a pushup before getting back into the squat. You can also add a jump into your stand after you come back from the plank(or pushup).

So these only take about 15 minutes so there is no excuse of having no time. These are guarateed to raise that heart rate and leave you sore for a couple of days! These were listed as part of the Top 10 at home workouts from Bankok Health & Fitness. Check them out for more tips!