This recipe for moist oven-baked barbecued chicken will make boring boneless skinless breasts and turn them into savory, succulent, perfectly seasoned filets that are truly company worthy!

Every week, I buy boneless skinless breasts on sale, so I am always looking for new ways to use them. This recipe is one of my faves, because the chicken turns out really moist~no easy feat when baking boneless skinless breasts.

Two things make this recipe work: a long marinade and a covered baking process. The chicken really does turn out to be tender, as long as it is not overcooked. A good meat thermometer is key to tracking doneness. I use this one~it is fast, accurate, and inexpensive.

Savvy tips:

Making ahead: The chicken can be marinaded up to 24 hours ahead. I prep and marinade mine the day before. The day I bake the chicken, I bake it a few hours before dinner and just keep it covered in a warm oven until serving.

Bottled sauce: I use Bob Gibson’s red sauce as that is what I grew up eating, and I love it. Cook’s Illustrated names Bull’s Eye Original the winning sauce in its taste tests, describing it as “robust,” “spicy” and a “good balance of smoky and sweet.”

On smoked paprika: Not to be confused with the more commonly known sweet paprika, smoked paprika is in a class by itself. It is the secret ingredient to the outstanding flavor of this recipe. It imparts a deep, smoky flavor that can’t be achieved through any other spice.

Serving suggestions: Crunchy slaw, make ahead twice baked potatoes, and jalapeño pimento cheese cornbread.

I love hearing from my readers, so please feel free to comment if you try this! Thank you SO much for stopping by. Be blessed, and stay savvy!!!

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Moist Oven Baked Barbecued Chicken

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Boneless, skinless chicken goes from boring to "the bomb" with this wonderful technique.

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Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 TB extra virgin olive oil
• 3 TB butter, melted
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• juice from one fresh lemon
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp kosher or sea salt
• fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (I use Bob Gibson's)

Instructions

2. TO MARINADE:
3. Slice breasts into 8 halves; set aside.
4. In bowl, put EVOO, butter, smoked paprika, lemon juice, & garlic; mix well.
5. Place chicken in ziploc bag; pour marinade mixture over.
6. Seal bag, turning over until all pieces of chicken are coated with mixture.
7. Place chicken in fridge to marinade for at least 4 hours or up to 24, turning bag occasionally.
8. TO COOK:
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
10. Remove chicken from bag and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
11. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
12. Spray one side of foil with cooking spray.
13. Cover chicken lightly with foil (sprayed side down).
14. Bake for 40 minutes.
15. Remove from oven; uncover and brush chicken liberally with bottled barbecue sauce.
16. Return to oven uncovered.
17. Continue cooking, basting with sauce every 10 minutes, until chicken reaches 165 degrees.
18. Allow chicken to rest for at least 30 minutes until serving.

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 1296Total Fat 90gSaturated Fat 31gCholesterol 436mgSodium 4608mgCarbohydrates 10gSugar 1gProtein 109g