Because of the heat wave that’s been gripping most of the country, along with the frequent extreme temperature warnings, we had planned to make some barbecued chicken leg quarters on our outdoor grill. It had been a sunny day with temps hovering around 85 degrees; but then an hour before we were planning to grill, Mother Nature intervened with a torrential rain storm that our weather app said would continue for most of the evening.

As we were considering indoor alternatives, my husband recalled a recent recipe by Ali Slagle “Oven BBQ Chicken” on the New York Times “Cooking” website “We already have all the ingredients,” he exclaimed, “and you can make it in under an hour!” After reading the recipe, I had some reservations, chief of which was the amount of chicken fat that might be rendered into the barbecue sauce. But since it was getting late, I agreed to make it, but only if he removed any excess fat from the leg quarters. (There was a plenty of it.)

The dish came together in less than fifteen minutes and only required a few ingredients and a minimum of effort. After 45 minutes of cooking, including a turn and a basting, the chicken was done. Yes, there was some fat, but that was easily skimmed off.

Although the chicken quarters lacked the charred appearance of those in The Times photo, which appeared, at least to me, to have been artfully torched by a food stylist, their skin was crisp enough. The chicken was perfectly cooked, moist and tender, fall-off-the bone, and had absorbed all the flavors from the rub and the BBQ sauce. Andrew summed it up best: “Finger-lickin’ good.”

Oven Barbecue Chicken (adapted from a recipe by Ali Slagle on the New York Times “Cooking” website)

Ingredients:

1 (18-ounce) jar barbecue sauce, or 2 cups homemade barbecue sauce (I used Stubb’s Hickory Bourbon Barbecue Sauce)
1 tablespoon neutral oil (I used canola oil.)
2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or pimenton
Kosher salt
About 3 to 4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters or thighs, trimmed of any excess fat or skin and patted dry
1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 425° F. Pour the barbecue sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan or dish (or a large skillet, or another ovenproof vessel that will fit the chicken snugly) and then shake to disperse the sauce into an even layer.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, chili powder, paprika and 1 teaspoon salt to form a paste. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss or massage until coated.

3. Arrange the chicken, skin side up, on top of the barbecue sauce. Roast until the chicken skin is crisp, 30 to 35 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven. Scrape the caramelized bits on the sides of the pan and stir them into the barbecue sauce.

5. Using tongs, turn the chicken pieces to coat them in the sauce, finishing skin-side-up. Then baste or spoon the sauce on top of the chicken. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the chicken is sticky and charred in spots, 10 to 15 minutes more.

6. Transfer chicken to heated plates. Stir the apple cider vinegar into the sauce remaining in the pan. Spoon some of the sauce over the chicken and serve it with the extra sauce.

Wine Pairing: California Zinfandel, Syrah