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June 4, 2025

While her native South Carolina is known for mustard-based barbecue, food writer Amethyst Ganaway especially loves sticky sweet and spicy chicken with a molasses and tomato sauce. And because she’s not always game for firing up the grill, she figured out a way to make her favorite chicken in the oven, with barbecue sauce just the way she likes it. It’s a meal with a lot less mess and work than the typical southern cookout, but all the flavor. The recipe is a Yummly original created by Amethyst Ganaway.

$5.94 / Serving Star
Estimated Price
14 Ingredients
EASY
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Smoky Spicy Molasses BBQ Chicken
1/1

Smoky Spicy Molasses BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

0 allergens identified

Smoky Spicy Molasses BBQ Chicken

Instructions

1
|
Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, mix ketchup, molasses, vinegar, honey, brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, the cayenne, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until flavors have melded together and sauce thickens, 15-20 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and set aside.
2
|
Meanwhile, place chicken in a baking or roasting dish about 9x13 inches, and coat with oil. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder with the onion powder and mustard. Sprinkle all over chicken. Arrange chicken skin side down and bake for 15 minutes.
3
|
Using a pastry brush or silicone brush, coat the top side of the chicken with a bit of the bbq sauce, using about one-quarter of it, so that pieces are covered well. Cook skin side down for an additional 15 minutes.
4
|
Flip chicken so the skin side is up, and coat each piece well with some bbq sauce. Increase the oven to 400°. Every 5-8 minutes, coat chicken with more of the sauce to your desired thickness (I do about 4 coats). Increase oven temperature to 500° or use your top broiler option. Finish cooking chicken until the sauce is thick, the chicken has some char, and the meat reaches 165° in the thickest part. Cooking time should be about 1 hour total.
18.77%

35.03 g

Carbs

53.36%

44.26 g

Fat

27.54%

51.41 g

Protein

37.33%

746.61 kcal

Calories

Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

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