This Sticky Maple-Barbecue Chicken is prepared in the oven and it chars beautifully baked on a grill pan. A whole chicken is rubbed with barbecue seasoning then basted with a homemade sauce filled with sweet and spicy flavors. Serve it with potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread and you’ll have them running to the dinner table.

Easy Sticky Maple Barbecue Chicken Recipe

Chicken and barbecue go together like peas and carrots. This oven barbecue chicken and it’s an absolute family favorite that never gets old. In this recipe the maple-barbecue sauce simmers while the chicken bakes, and then you baste it at the end of cooking and char the sauce for optimum stickiness and flavor. It’s fantastic, a real family pleaser but good enough for company. How to make Sticky Maple Barbecue Chicken: (Scroll down for full printable recipe.)

Prepare Pan – Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the bottom of a large pan with a rack with aluminum foil or spritz an oven safe grill pan or broiler pan with cooking spray.
Chicken – Drizzle the chicken pieces with olive oil then rub liberally with the seasoning on all sides.
Transfer to Pan – Place skin side down on the rack or pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
Sauce – While the chicken is bakes saute the minced onion in butter until softened. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer on low uncovered for 15 minutes to reduce and thicken. Skip this if using a prepared barbecue sauce.
After the chicken has baked for 30 minutes, remove from the oven and drain the juices from the pan.
Baste Chicken – Drizzle the chicken with sauce. Turn and drizzle the top with sauce.
Return to Oven – Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until the juices run clear or the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.
Char the Sauce – At the end of cooking increase the oven temperature to broil and move the oven rack up. Broil the chicken for 3-4 minutes until the skin is charred. Keep a close eye on the chicken. Remove from the oven, brush with sauce and rest loosely tented with foil for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve leftover sauce on the side, if desired.

How to Make the Best Sticky Maple Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients you’ll need to make juicy homemade Sticky Maple Barbecue Chicken: One 4 pound chicken divided into 8 pieces and olive oil or vegetable oil for rubbing the chicken. You’ll also need 1/4 cup of prepared barbecue seasoning mixed with 1/4 cup light brown sugar to season the chicken.
For the Maple Barbecue Sauce you’ll need: Diced onion, butter, maple syrup. ketchup, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, liquid smoke, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, salt and the same barbecue seasoning you used for the dry rub.
The sky’s the limit with flavor twists and variations of dry rubs you can use for barbecue chicken. I recommend you start this chicken with your favorite barbecue rub or one of the suggested brands that I use.
Simmer the sauce on the stove top while the chicken is roasting and you’ll cut down your active prep time.
Even better, make the sauce in advance and pop it into the fridge and you’ll be good to go.
Take a few minutes to turn the oven to broil at the end of cooking and the sauce will char beautifully on the chicken pieces.
Store leftover Maple Barbecue Chicken chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave.

Southern Style Side Dishes to Serve with Barbecue Chicken

So many sides pair well with barbecue and there are some classics that are no-brainers. A few options you may like to add to the menu:

A heaping helping of Homemade Baked Beans.
Air Fryer Macaroni and Cheese can be cooking at the same time as the chicken without crowding the oven.
Chick-fil-A style Cole Slaw.
See How to Boil Corn on the Cob in a buttery milk bath.
BLT Potato Salad is practically a meal on its own.
Fun individual Bacon Macaroni and Cheese Muffins.
Pineapple Pepper Slaw from Southern Living.

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