Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts

Juicy, tender and full of flavor, baked BBQ chicken breasts are quick and easy to make. Take them on picnics, throw on a salad, stuff them in pita bread or as part of a hot meal, these versatile chicken breasts go with so many things.

Baked BBQ Chicken

When I cook with chicken, more often than not I'll use chicken thighs, but sometimes easy to slice up chicken breasts are what you need and this recipe is bursting with BBQ flavor, super easy to make and keeps the meat juicy and tender.

If you're planning ahead you might prefer to marinade BBQ chicken but i'd urge you to try this recipe, you get all the flavor without having to have planned ahead of time and get the marinade ready.

It takes just a few minutes to get the sauce together (including making the BBQ spice rub mix!) and then it's just the cooking time.

BBQ Chicken For Kids

I use this homemade BBQ spice rub to give these chicken breasts a good BBQ flavor. I usually have a batch around as I use it for lots of things and when mixed with a little honey it makes a pretty awesome instant BBQ coating for chicken.

The spice mix itself is a simple mix of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, a little salt and cumin among others.

It's a really handy mixture to have on hand, and once it's blended I keep it in an old cleaned out spice jar with my other spices.

If you'd like to try making barbecue sauce, this smokey BBQ sauce we made when we couldn't find our usual one in the shops is yummy, if a little time consuming which is why I prefer to use a spice rub to make this chicken.

If you want extra BBQ-ey flavor you could always add a little pot of this on the side!

Juicy BBQ Chicken Breasts In The Oven

I cook these chicken breasts fast. Chicken breasts become dry when they're cooked for too long on too high a heat and so I want the chicken breasts to fully as quickly as possible.

There are two things I always do when I'm cooking chicken breasts this way, I always turn the chicken breasts over half way through cooking.

I let the BBQ spice cook on the top of the chicken for the first half of the cooking time, this also gives the chicken time to release some of it's juice in the parchment paper.

When I turn the chicken over halfway through cooking, the juice that's been pooled in the paper gets absorbed into the top side of the chicken, if that makes sense. You end up with juicier chicken :)

The second thing you must do is let the chicken rest before cutting into it. Once you cut into it the juice can escape and by allowing it to rest you give the juice a chance to setting into the meat.

Plus chicken breasts are easier to slice up when they're not piping hot.

How Long Do Chicken Breasts Take To Cook In The Oven?

In my electric oven these chicken breasts take 25 minutes to cook. I us a sharp knife to make a cut into the middle once I think they're cooked and check the juice runs clear.

To keep as much moisture in as possible, don't allow the knife to pierce the bottom of the chicken breast or you'll lose moisture from the opening!

Most ovens cook at a slightly different temperature and it's impossible to give you a spot on time guide, but I'm always a little cautious with chicken being given to the kids and so I always check it's cooked through and that the juice runs clear and the meat is white and cooked.

The correct way to check the internal temperature of meat to make sure it's cooked safely is of course to use a meat thermometer. This way you don't have to faff about like me with knives and piercing the meat and checking the juices. They're fairly inexpensive and really, I should get one!

What To Eat With BBQ Chicken

Having some of these in your fridge means you'll not go hunting for a yummy kid friendly, protein rich lunch.

You can stuff a pita with this chicken and some salad-y type things. Try tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, corn or you can have a few slices on the top of a salad.

I also like to use this in a cold pasta salad. We also take it on picnics or put it in the kids lunchboxes. Feel free to make up a basic pasta dish and add this on the top.

Serve it with a potato bake and some veggies for a more substantial dinner.

It's one of those foods that can be dressed up or down. Pick at it as a snack, or include it in a full blown meal. It's versatile. If you've found some chicken breasts on special at your local store, grab them and make some of these!

Storage & BBQ Chicken Breast Leftovers

This barbecue chicken keeps like a dream in the fridge and to store leftovers I keep them wrapped in some foil in an airtight container.

They then have a double layer of protection against the air, which is what can cause chicken to dry out and I keep them for up to 2 days.

We eat these hot or cold. The kids prefer to eat these cold (straight from the fridge) but if you want to reheat them you can pop them into the microwave, covered with food wrap, for a minute or so until they're piping hot throughout.