Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for Skillet BBQ Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Recipe. When you need a quick and economical meal all the family will enjoy….make it chicken and potatoes. We’re cooking it all up in one cast iron skillet so clean up is just as quick. You can use your favorite BBQ Sauce but, we’re making one from scratch….right in the pan.
Skillet BBQ Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Recipe:
Chicken is without a doubt my favorite meat. I like it fried, baked, grilled, about anyway it can be cooked. I’m just your meat and potatoes kind of guy I guess. So, this quick and easy meal for BBQ Chicken in the oven…and in one pan….just kind of hit the spot for me this week.
My mother always knew that I liked her fried chicken the best but, I guess she just wanted to change things up every once in awhile. BBQ chicken was her second favorite way of preparing it for us I think. If they even made BBQ Sauce when I was growing up, I wasn’t aware of it. I don’t recall ever seeing any in the house. OK…so I’m not so old that they didn’t actually sell it in the stores I guess….it’s just that we never bought any of it that I recall.
Daddy would make his own anytime he cooked a whole hog on his homemade pits. That was a straight vinegar based type of sauce…without any tomatoes or ketchup. Mama on the other hand, would make her own sauce for her chicken using ketchup, brown sugar, mustard and a few other ingredients she had on hand.
When I placed the skillet of chicken thighs in the oven the other day, it wasn’t long before the aromas started to fill my kitchen as the chicken began to bake. I was instantly transported back in time as I remembered those same great aromas that came from the kitchen when mama was baking chicken. Isn’t it amazing how smells can do that to us sometimes? I could just picture her in one of her aprons, reaching in the oven with some pot holders to pull out a dish of baked BBQ Chicken and potatoes. She would have used one of her clear glass, Pyrex type, casserole dishes because it would hold an entire chicken. And….it would smell absolutely awesome.
I hadn’t baked BBQ Chicken in forever and, I could hardly wait long enough for it to cool before I had to sample some of the chicken and potatoes together. One bite and I knew mama had been guiding me as I tried to recreate her recipe from my head. Well, at least I liked thinking that maybe that was possible. It was a pleasant thought with lots of good memories of growing up Gordon. I do think she would have approved of the way it turned out.
I do hope you’ll give our recipe a try. You can follow along with our simple sauce for BBQ or, you can use some of that bottled stuff you already have….if you have to. But hey, at least give this a try once and see how you like it. Ready? Alright then….Let’s Get Cooking!
Skillet BBQ Chicken Thighs with Potatoes Recipe: You’ll need these ingredients.
We’re making our own BBQ Sauce in the pan but, you could certainly use your favorite brand instead.
Begin by rinsing the chicken pieces with cool water. Set them aside on a couple of paper towels to drain.
Add slices of butter to the cold skillet.
Place chicken thighs in skillet, skin side down.
Add all the chicken to the skillet.
Add salt to taste….just a little will do.
Add a little Black Pepper.
Sprinkle with a little Garlic Powder. Not only will this add flavor but, it makes the kitchen smell really good once it starts to bake.
Sprinkle the Apple Cider Vinegar around the pan.
Add the yellow Mustard.
Add the Brown Sugar, just sprinkle it all over the top of the chicken thighs.
Add the ketchup.
Wash the potatoes in cool water. Be sure to scrub them pretty good to remove any dirt that might be on them.
Slice the potatoes. I only used two for mine.
Layer the potatoes on top of the chicken thighs.
Add a little more of the ketchup on top of the potatoes.
Add the Worcestershire Sauce. Just sprinkle it around on top of the potatoes.
Wrap the skillet with aluminum foil. Place in the pre-heated oven.
Bake at 350º for about 45 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and take off the aluminum foil. Careful…it’s hot.
Use some tongs if you have them and remove the thighs from the skillet. Set them on the aluminum foil for the moment. Spread the potatoes evenly around the bottom of the pan. You probably should flip them over as well.
Place the chicken thighs back in the skillet, skin side UP this time. Sprinkle the skin with Paprika. Return the pan, uncovered, to the oven.
Bake for another 15-20 minutes…or until done.
Insert a meat thermometer into the thigh. It should register 165º as the Internal Temperature to be cooked properly. You want regret always testing your cooked meats with a thermometer. They are fairly cheap and a great kitchen gadget to have on hand. As you can see, mine was a bit over the needed temperature but, it still came out nice and juicy…and done.
Just let the chicken rest in the pan for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
If the potatoes aren’t as done as you’d like them by now, you could remove the chicken breasts and cover them with foil to keep them warm. Then, either place the skillet back in the oven for a couple more minutes to let the potatoes cook some more or, you could just place it on top of the stove and simmer them a bit over medium heat.
You could also use the juices in the pan to make a thicker BBQ Sauce or gravy for the chicken. I didn’t do that but, you could if you wanted. You’d just need to remove the drippings, make a roux of some butter and flour in the skillet then, add the drippings back into the pan and simmer it a few minutes.
Either way, serve it while it’s good and warm. Enjoy!
