Easy oven-baked whole chicken quarters with a spicy barbecue seasoning is about to become your favourite way to prepare chicken. It’s so easy too! All you do is whisk together olive oil and spices, baste chicken and bake until ready to eat! You might want to consider doubling the recipe!

OVEN BAKED CHICKEN QUARTERS TO THE RESCUE!

Who doesn’t love an easy recipe like these Oven Baked Spicy Barbecue Chicken Quarters? I’m not one to shy away from a delicious and simple recipe. I know I have many readers who are moms or dads of little ones. Those same parents get home from work and have to head out to practice, recital, or rehearsal. It makes for a long day and a hectic night.

This recipe is for people like you. I also know that I have readers who don’t have kids to worry about, but like to prepare a home-cooked meal every night for their significant other or spouse. This recipe is for people like you too.

There are also those of you who are single and like it that way, but love to experiment in the kitchen. There’s those of you who are on a budget and trying to save money on groceries. There’s also those of you who, like me, would much rather dark chicken meat over white meat any day! This recipe is for all of you!

THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS DISH

I grew up in a home where chicken quarters were a main that was served at least once per week. My mom used to pile a bunch of the chicken quarters into one of those old-fashioned enamel roasting pans. She’s roughly chop up an onion, add a little bit of salt and pepper and roast the chicken until ready to serve. It was simple, but it was always so good with her homemade chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, and peas.

My favourite recipe was her homemade barbecue sauce recipe. She would prepare the chicken quarters in the same fashion, but she would whisk together a sauce that consisted of ketchup, onion, Worcestershire, soy sauce, seasonings, etc. I think there was mustard in there too. She would pour this mixture over the chicken – in that same roasting pan – and toss it in the oven. The chicken was falling of the bone and it was so flavourful! It was my favourite way to eat chicken.

I’ve tried to get the sauce recipe just right, but it’s never quite like my mom used to make. Of course, she was never one to write out recipes with exact measurements, so oftentimes, it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Who knows how much a little bit is?

I’m not going to do that to you, Dear Reader. This measurements for this recipe are in the recipe card below, and you won’t need one of those old-fashioned enamel roasting pans. A simple sheet pan will do!

ALL YOU NEED IS A SHEET PAN!

The flavour of this chicken is absolutely delicious! I love the deep, woodsy taste of the oregano, and the intense smokey flavour from the smoked paprika and the liquid smoke. By the way, the liquid smoke can be optional if you don’t want to buy a bottle of it just for one recipe. I tend to use it a lot when I’m cooking for myself and not for Lord Byron’s Kitchen. If you don’t use it, you’ll still end up with a great tasting chicken dish.

Just as a side note though, liquid smoke is extremely inexpensive and if you find yourself roasting chicken (especially chicken breasts) or salmon, try adding a few dashes of the liquid smoke. It’s an easy way to get some of the flavours of an outdoor fire grill into some of your winter roasted/grilled mains.

Despite the amount of cayenne pepper and chili powder in this recipe, I didn’t think the spice or heat level was too much. You will know your personal tastes and your personal threshold for heat and spice, so you can adjust those amounts accordingly. This recipe is extremely forgiving when it comes to adjustments.

4.19 from 71 votes

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