This oven baked 4-ingredient bourbon glazed chicken is the kind of simple, no-fuss supper that has fed farm families around here for generations—just dressed up with a bottle of store-bought bourbon barbecue sauce. It reminds me of the church potlucks of the late ’70s, when every good cook had a trusty baked chicken recipe that could sit in the oven while you set the table and visited. You just lay the chicken quarters in a baking dish, brush on a generous coat of bourbon BBQ sauce mixed with a few pantry staples, and let the oven do the rest. The result is tender, sticky, sweet-smoky chicken that feels special enough for Sunday, but easy enough for any weeknight. Brush bourbon BBQ sauce and these 3 ingredients over chicken quarters in baking dish for a meal that becomes an instant family favorite.
I like to serve this bourbon glazed chicken with creamy mashed potatoes or buttered egg noodles to soak up all those sweet and tangy juices from the pan. A simple side of green beans, coleslaw, or a tossed salad rounds it out nicely, and cornbread or dinner rolls never go to waste alongside this kind of meal. If you have leftovers, pull the meat from the bones and pile it onto toasted buns with a little extra barbecue sauce for easy sandwiches the next day.
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Bourbon Glazed Chicken QuartersServings: 4
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (about 3 to 3 1/2 pounds total)
1 cup store-bought bourbon barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray (for the baking dish, optional)
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly spray or grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or a little oil.
Pat the chicken leg quarters dry with paper towels. This helps the sauce cling better and encourages the skin to brown nicely.
In a small bowl, stir together the bourbon barbecue sauce, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
Arrange the raw chicken quarters in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, skin side up, leaving a little space between each piece so the heat can circulate.
Using a pastry brush or the back of a spoon, generously brush the bourbon BBQ sauce mixture over the top and sides of each chicken quarter, making sure every piece is well coated. Spoon any remaining sauce over the chicken and into the bottom of the dish.
Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and place it on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake for 25 minutes.
Carefully remove the foil, baste the chicken with the pan juices using a spoon or brush, and return the uncovered dish to the oven. Continue baking for another 25 to 35 minutes, basting once more if you like, until the chicken is cooked through and the glaze is bubbling and slightly caramelized. The internal temperature should reach at least 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part, but for leg quarters I prefer 175°F to 185°F (79°C to 85°C) for the most tender meat.
If you’d like the skin a bit more browned and sticky, turn the oven to broil for 2 to 3 minutes at the end, watching closely so the sugars in the sauce don’t burn.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and let the chicken rest for about 5 to 10 minutes so the juices settle. Spoon some of the bourbon barbecue pan juices over the chicken before serving.
Variations & Tips
You can easily adjust this 4-ingredient idea to suit your own table while keeping the same simple method of brushing bourbon BBQ sauce and three pantry staples over chicken quarters in a baking dish. For a little heat, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce mixture. If you prefer a smokier flavor, use smoked garlic powder or add 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika along with the garlic powder. For a touch of sweetness like the old-time baked chicken recipes, stir in 1 tablespoon of brown sugar or honey into the bourbon barbecue sauce before brushing it on. If you don’t have olive oil, any neutral oil such as canola or vegetable oil will do. This recipe works nicely with bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks as well; just keep an eye on the cooking time and use an instant-read thermometer to be sure they’re done.
Food safety tips: Always start with raw chicken that has been kept properly refrigerated, and never rinse chicken in the sink, as that can spread bacteria around your kitchen. Use a separate cutting board and knife for raw poultry, and wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces with hot, soapy water after handling it. When brushing on the bourbon barbecue mixture, don’t dip a used brush back into a bowl you plan to use later for serving; once it’s touched raw chicken, that bowl is for raw only. If you’d like extra sauce at the table, keep some separate and untouched by raw chicken. Bake until the chicken reaches a safe internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C), measured in the thickest part without touching the bone. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat thoroughly before eating.
