By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 11, 2026
Serves 8
110 min
Susan Spungen's Barbecued Chicken
Recipe GLPRb95e74b1ef64f8
Succulent roasted whole chickens glazed with a homemade barbecue sauce. This classic American dish features tender, juicy meat with a rich, tangy-sweet exterior. Perfect for feeding a crowd at a backyard gathering.
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Ingredients
4 whole chickens, about 3 pounds each
1 1/4 quarts Susan Spungen's Barbecue Sauce
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Pat the chickens dry with paper towels and season them inside and out with salt and pepper to taste.
Place each chicken breast-side up on a roasting pan. You may need to use two pans to accommodate all four chickens comfortably, or roast them in batches.
Roast the chickens uncovered for about 45 minutes, until the skin begins to turn golden brown.
Remove the pans from the oven and generously brush the barbecue sauce over all surfaces of each chicken, coating them well.
Return to the oven and continue roasting for another 30 to 45 minutes, basting with additional barbecue sauce every 10 to 15 minutes, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F.
Let the chickens rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot with any accumulated pan drippings spooned over the top.
Comments
The stated 110 minutes is honestly misleading—most of that is oven time, but you'll spend 15–20 minutes prepping and monitoring the chicken, then checking it periodically; this is not a set-it-and-forget-it dish. Chicken and barbecue sauce are universally available at every Charlotte chain, and quality barbecue sauce ranges from $2–4 per bottle, making this genuinely cheap at around $2–3 per serving for bone-in thighs. The main caveat is that this works best as a same-night meal; reheated barbecued chicken dries out noticeably unless you add moisture back in. For a weekend family dinner or a crowd, it's a reliable win, but weeknight cooks should plan to serve it fresh.
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