Barbecue Chicken

We don't have a grill, and we can't have one in our apartment complex, so I have to come up with my own way of barbecuing. I have found that baking chicken in the oven "low and slow" results in a very tender, melt-in-your-mouth result. Plus, once it's in the oven, you can walk away and forget about it for over and hour and get back to other important matters. This is a recipe for a homemade BBQ sauce that we love, but if you're in a huge hurry, I'm sure you could just buy a bottle and get similar results.

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
1 package boneless chicken thighs or breasts (Hint: thighs are so much more tender and moist, but breasts work well, too)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and chili powder. Simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Add cornstarch, if needed, to thicken.

Place the chicken thighs into a baking dish, and pour the sauce over them. Cover tightly with foil.Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 300 degrees F, and bake for one hour. Remove cover, stir and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

I have no picture for this one. There's just no way to make BBQ look pretty in a picture. But I assure you, this is a regular meal in our house because it really is great.