Whole Roast BBQ Chicken

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BBQ Chicken – the taste of summer! This whole chicken is marinated in homemade BBQ sauce overnight and then roasted in the oven. It’s extremely juicy, soft, and tender on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside. This one-pan recipe is just SO easy and tastes divine! Paleo + keto-friendly.

I’ve been making a tonne of different BBQ sauces recently (like this one and this one) and then the fun part is experimenting with it in different ways! Of course you can use it the usual ways – dip, spread, pizza sauce, but marinating meat with it next level aah-mazing!

Here’s why you will LOVE this BBQ Chicken:

• It’s so easy: Make BBQ sauce, marinate the chicken in the BBQ sauce overnight, cook it a bit in the oven by itself, then add veggies and the extra sauce to the pan, and roast it until everything is cooked through. 
• It’s delicious: Smoky, sweet, tangy, spicy, juicy, tender, and crispy, all in one pan? Yes, please!
• It’s a one-pan dish: One pan = less clean up later!
• You can change up the veggies: I used potatoes because we’ve had a boat-load in our local veggie box the past few weeks, but use other roasting veggies like carrots, radish, courgettes- whatever you have on hand.

How do I make this BBQ Chicken?

It takes 3 steps:

1. Make BBQ Sauce:

• Add all of the BBQ sauce ingredients into a pot.
• Cook on medium-high heat stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

2. Marinade the chicken:

• Place the chicken in a large, ziplock bag with the BBQ sauce and refrigerate overnight.

3. Bake the chicken:

• Place the marinated chicken upside down in the pan and bake in the oven, pre-heated to 200°C for 15 minutes.
• Take it out after 15 minutes, and reduce the oven temperature to 140°C. 
• Add the veggies and any remaining BBQ sauce to the pan, cover it with foil, and bake it for one hour.
• After an hour, take it out and increase the temperature back up to 200°C. 
• Remove the foil and carefully turn the chicken over.
• Place back into the oven, uncovered, for 35 minutes. 

Jazz it up!

Here is a list of vegetables you can use in this recipe. Just ensure that the vegetables cover the bottom of the pan, around the chicken in one layer, without too much overlapping:

• Potatoes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Carrots
• Fennel root
• Parsnip
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Bell Peppers
• Leeks
• Radish
• Turnip
• Rutabaga
• Swede
• Collard greens/similar greens
• Cauliflower
• Squash
• Zucchini
• Butternut squash
• Beets
• Whole garlic cloves

Can I cook this BBQ whole chicken on the grill? 

Yes! Just place the marinaded chicken on a hot grill for 1.5 – 2 hours. Use a thermometer to check that the inside has reached 165°F/75°C before consuming it. You can use the extra marinade as a baste while it’s cooking – reapply every 20-30 minutes. 

Can I make it a little spicier?

Please do. Add 1/2-1 tsp (or more) extra of the hot paprika to the BBQ sauce when it’s cooking. Taste as you add – too much can really be too much sometimes!

Can I do anything with the leftover chicken bones?

Oh yes. I put the bones in a slow cooker with 2 onions, a few garlic cloves, water and salt, and cooked it on low overnight, well into the next day. Probably around 20 hours in total. This broth is great for soup – I made bbq ramen with loads of veggies and rice noodles!

How do I store this BBQ Chicken?

• Fridge: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat thoroughly in the microwave or in the oven before consuming it.
• Freezer: Cut the meat off of the bones and store in an airtight, freezer-friendly container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.

More drool-worthy recipes to get your tastebuds flyin’:

• SUMAC BBQ SAUCE
• STOUT BBQ SAUCE AND 5 WAYS TO USE IT
• VEGAN JALAPEÑO POPPERS
• EASY WHOLE30 CRISPY CARNITAS
• EASY HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

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