Cook Succulent Oven BBQ Chicken With The Help of Your Convection Oven

Grilled BBQ chicken sounds easy enough to make, but in fact it takes quite a bit of skill to evenly cook chicken on the grill without burning it. 

The key to successfully cooking BBQ chicken on the grill is to use a combination of high heat to sear the chicken then to move the chicken to a cooler part of the grill to cook it through. Then of course the chicken needs to be brushed with BBQ sauce and monitored carefully so it doesn’t burn. But if you reverse this method in convection, you'll have great results every time.

BBQ chicken cooked in a convection oven and finished on the grill

How Does Using Convection Ensure Succulent BBQ Chicken

The high heat of the grill brings out the flavor in food but to cook chicken successfully on the grill it’s important to use a combination of direct heat and indirect heat. 

Direct heat sears the chicken, rendering the fat and crisping the skin. Indirect heat, is used to cook the chicken through at a lower temperature. The result, perfectly cooked chicken.  

However, reversing the process and cooking the chicken at a low temperature in the oven and finishing the cooking at a high temperature in the oven or on the grill is definitely the easiest way to ensure great results when planning a succulent BBQ chicken.

Seasoning The Chicken

Cook at Low Temperature

Chicken Finish at The Grill

Circulating Convection heat prevents food from drying out and cooking lean tender meats like chicken at a low temperature ensures especially succulent results when the chicken is finished at high heat.

Another advantage to cooking chicken at a lower temperature in the oven is that you can easily monitor the cooking time of the dark and white meat to avoid overcooking. Set the timer for 25 minutes for the breast pieces and continue cooking the dark meat for for another 10 minutes. Ideally the internal temperature for the chicken will be around 150 degrees at this point. Once the chicken has been finished at a high temperature, the internal temperature should be approximately 165 - 170 degrees.

How to Cook Oven BBQ Chicken In The Oven

To prepare chicken for cooking in the oven, simply rub the chicken pieces with your preferred dry rub or a blend of spices, some kosher salt and pepper. Rub a little oil into the chicken pieces and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.

To cook the chicken select the Convection or Convection Bake mode and set the temperature to 200 degrees.

Cook The Chicken at Low Temperature First

Place the chicken in the oven and set the timer for 35 minutes for legs and thighs and 25 minutes for breast portions. If you are planning to finish the chicken on the outdoor grill, begin to heat the grill at least 15 minutes in advance. If you are finishing the chicken in the oven change the temperature to 425 and the cooking mode to Convection Roast Roast when you remove the chicken from the oven. If your oven doesn't have a Convection Roast mode then leave it set in the Convection Bake mode.

Cook the chicken on the grill or in the oven for approximately 10 minutes until the skin begins the crisp. Brush the chicken with a generous amount of BBQ sauce and cook for another 5 minutes to heat the sauce.

We need heat to cook food but too much heat can destroy food, but this method of using Convection set at a low temperature for the initial cooking stage followed by a high heat finish ensures succulent flavorful results.

Learning how the tools of your Convection and Steam oven can be used to achieve great results with all your cooking takes a little practice but once you have had a few successes it becomes easier. Then when you read a recipe you can use the seasoning the recipe writer recommends but use the technique that works best in your oven.

Cooking an expensive cut of meat can provoke anxiety and in my next post I will review how to cook a Beef Sirloin roast to perfection using Convection.

Larissa, Your Convection Enthusiast