Delicious Recipe for BBQ Chicken – Baked!

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Chicken Thighs with Blueberry Zinfandel Sauce

If you’ve only used to using blueberries in sweet things, I have great news; blueberries are also fantastic in savory dishes and make the most incredible, tangy Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce! I have been working with the California Blueberry Commission to create several recipes that highlight California blueberry season (here NOW, friends!) and this delicious recipe for BBQ Chicken – baked on a sheet pan was one of my favorites! The sauce is made from blueberries and wine…c’mon now. It’s a match made in California heaven.

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I love any meal that is made with one dish. These days, I also need meals that feed a crowd because all my young adult kids are still living with us (thanks pandemic). Enter sheet pan everything! This recipe for BBQ chicken calls for whole chicken legs, but cut up parts work just as well too. The juices from the chicken help flavor the veggies underneath – in this case sweet potatoes, red onions and fresh blueberries – and the Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce ties it all together. This is a one-dish meal the whole family will love.

Chicken Thighs with Blueberry Zinfandel Sauce

How to Make Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce

Here are the ingredients for the most amazing, fresh and tangy BBQ sauce ever:

Ingredients

  • 1 cup fresh California blueberries
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup of red zinfandel wine
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 cup of diced red onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup of ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (or to taste)

This recipe is very simple to make. You’ll find that the most complicated part of this recipe is reducing both the blueberries and the wine. Watch the pan carefully and stir often. Don’t worry about rinsing the pan between steps. It’s all going to the same place anyway.

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce. First, pour the wine in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Next, pour into a bowl and set aside.
  2. Put the blueberries and the maple syrup into the same saucepan, mash slightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the reduced wine.
  3. Heat the olive oil in the same saucepan over medium heat. Next, add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add the reserved wine and blueberries, ketchup, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, cinnamon and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened slightly. Reserve.

This Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce can be made up to one week in advance. If you have any leftover sauce serve it on anything grilled including ribs or fish, or use it as a dipping sauce.

Chicken Thighs with Blueberry Zinfandel Sauce

How to Make BBQ Chicken in the Oven on a Sheet Pan

Sheet pan chicken legs with Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce is a delicious, one-pan dinner that feeds a crowd. If you can’t find whole legs, cut up chicken parts work just fine too!

Ingredients:

  • 6 whole chicken legs (thigh and leg)
  • medium red onion, cut into wedges
  • large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 cup of fresh California blueberries
  • 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Here’s how to put the whole meal together:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, with a rack in the top ⅓ of the oven. Spray a half sheet pan with cooking spray. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Scatter the red onion, sweet potato cubes, blueberries, and thyme sprigs over the pan.
  2. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables and drizzle the olive oil over everything in the pan. Place the pan in the oven rack and roast for 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the chicken liberally with the Blueberry Zinfandel Sauce.
  3. Then, return the pan to the oven and continue to bake until the chicken has an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 20-25 minutes longer.
  4. Remove from the oven and serve with additional Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce.

Love blueberries? Try these other delicious recipes!

My friends at California Grown have also created an amazing Blueberry Jalapeno BBQ Sauce, and suddenly I’m itching for a BBQ Sauce-off! Which sauce will reign supreme????

If you make this be sure to leave a comment and star rating below and post a picture and tag me on Instagram using the hashtags #agirldefloured #deflouredrecipes! California blueberry season is here, so what are you waiting for?

Chicken Thighs with Blueberry Zinfandel Sauce

BBQ Chicken – Baked on a Sheet Pan with a Delicious Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce

Alison Needham
Sheet pan chicken legs with blueberry zinfandel bbq sauce is a delicious, one-pan dinner that feeds a crowd. Have leftover sauce? Serve it on anything grilled including ribs or fish, or use it as a dipping sauce!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 420 kcal

Equipment

  • Half Sheet Pan

Ingredients
  

For the BBQ Sauce

For the Sheet Pan Chicken

Instructions
 

  • Prepare the Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce. Pour the wine in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over medium heat until the wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
  • Put the blueberries and the maple syrup into the same saucepan, mash slightly with a potato masher or wooden spoon and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add to the bowl with the reduced wine.
  • Heat the olive oil in the same saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved wine and blueberries, ketchup, cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt, cinnamon and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened slightly. Reserve. This sauce can be made up to one week in advance.
  • Make the chicken. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, with a rack in the top ⅓ of the oven. Spray a half sheet pan with cooking spray. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Scatter the red onion, sweet potato cubes, blueberries, and thyme sprigs over the pan. Arrange the chicken on top of the vegetables and drizzle the olive oil over everything in the pan. Place the pan in the oven rack and roast for 35 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the chicken liberally with the Blueberry Zinfandel Sauce. Return the pan to the oven and continue to bake until the chicken has an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 20-25 minutes longer.
  • Remove from the oven and serve with additional Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1legCalories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 17gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 568mgPotassium: 563mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 4337IUVitamin C: 10mgCalcium: 56mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Blueberry BBQ Sauce, Blueberry Zinfandel BBQ Sauce, Sheet Pan Chicken Legs with BBQ Sauce
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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