By Millie Peartree
Updated Oct. 12, 2023
- Total Time
- 1¾ hours
- Prep Time
- 20 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1 hour 25 minutes
- Rating
- 4(58)
- Notes
- Read community notes
A homemade hibiscus barbecue sauce makes this oven-baked chicken extraspecial. This recipe layers flavor: A dry rub built on seasoned salt, onion powder and garlic powder flavors the meat, then the sweet-tart, tangy-spicy barbecue sauce — a counterpoint to the savory chicken — is layered on and baked until slightly sticky and caramelized. It gives you that barbecue feel without having to actually set up the grill.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ¼cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼cup/½ ounce dried hibiscus flowers, chopped
- ½small onion, grated
- 4teaspoons yellow mustard
- 1½teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1½teaspoons red-pepper flakes
- 1½teaspoons ground cayenne
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton)
- ¾teaspoon black pepper
- ¾cup dark brown sugar
- ¾cup ketchup
- 1garlic clove, minced
- 1whole habanero chile, pieced with a knife (optional)
- 4bone-in, skin-on chicken leg quarters (or use 4 legs and 4 thighs)
- 2teaspoons seasoned salt (preferably Lawry’s)
- 2teaspoons garlic powder
- 2teaspoons onion powder
- 1teaspoon black pepper
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Olive oil or nonstick cooking spray
For the Hibiscus Sauce
For the Chicken
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
613 calories; 33 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 739 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Preparation
Step
1
Make the barbecue sauce: To a medium saucepan, add vinegar, hibiscus flowers, onion, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red-pepper flakes, cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper and ½ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then stir in brown sugar, ketchup, garlic and habanero. Return the sauce to a simmer and cook over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the sauce is thick enough that it streams off a spoon, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly, then strain the sauce in a strainer set over a bowl, pressing hard on the solids. Be sure to scrape the sauce off the underside of the strainer.
Step
2
Meanwhile, as the sauce simmers, roast the chicken: Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the chicken legs dry and trim off any excess fat, leaving the skin intact.
Step
3
Combine the seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, paprika and thyme in a small bowl and rub all over the chicken. Place the legs on a rimmed sheet pan, drizzle them with olive oil, and bake until golden brown but just shy of cooked through, about 30 minutes.
Step
4
Once the chicken is golden brown, brush it generously with the barbecue sauce, return back to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees. Serve hot, with more barbecue sauce. (Save any leftover barbecue sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for future use.)
Ratings
4
out of 5
58
user ratings
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Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Tara
Red Zinger tea works in lieu of the hibiscus flowers.
Ursula
Where does one get hibiscus flowers?
CJ
Thinking of substituting a cup of finely chopped rhubarb for the hibiscus flowers.
NAN C
This sauce recipe, even with some variation, is also great on salmon. If you're lucky to get to Mexico and a local market, most have hibiscus flowers. Used for wonderful refreshing cold drink Jugo de Jamaica.
Denise Phelabaum Evans
This five star review is for the hibiscus sauce. It’s fantastic! We like spicy but some of our guests don’t so I used one teaspoon red pepper flakes as well as cayenne, omitted the habanero, and it was still plenty ‘good’ hot. I reduced the dark brown sugar to one-quarter cut and increased the ketchup to a full cup. It’s a keeper!
JCP
Both. It's a tangy flavor and a red coloring.
NY
Don’t puncture or cut the habanero just simmer it whole in the sauce for a bit, you’ll get the lovely flavor and not a lot of heat.
Doug
My wife and kids can't take the heat so I've had to omit the habenero, I just add a little extra cayenne when they aren't watching. This sauce also works great for oven-baked country style bonless ribs.
Steve
Reduced the sugar as suggested and used no sugar added (including fake sugars) ketchup. Outstanding though I don’t know how there can be any leftover of the excellent barbecue sauce.
breadboy
While I like the sweet/sour/heat contrast I found this sauce entirely too sweet. I would back off the sugar to 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Given the sugar in ketchup there will still be plenty of sweet to balance the sour. The heat here is sneaky and just right. Will make this again but will back off the sugar. Is does involve a lot of early preparation time but baking makes this enjoyable for entertaining.
Pamela T
I made this for a July 4th picnic with my in-laws and we enjoyed it. The hibiscus bbq sauce is delightful, both sweet and hot and with such great color, too! I seasoned the chicken the night before and baked it the next day, sprinkling some under the skin. I thought that might amplify the flavor of the chicken, but it didn’t seem to add anything. The sauce on the chicken is the star of the show, so next time I will follow the directions exactly as written.
Aliyia
Amazon has hibiscus flowers also some farmers markets carry them but I don’t think the season is until late summer-September
Nadia
This was delicious and chicken turned out beautifully browned and caramelized like in the picture. I did use less spice than indicated (1 tsp cobanero chili flakes and 1 habanero, not pierced and not pressed with rest of solids). That was a good amount of heat for us, in the medium range. I could maybe do the full 3 tsps of spice when I was younger but no longer!
Corlan Johnson
I made this last night, and it was quite tasty, but took more time than I like to spend. I think next time I will combine the hibiscus with water, simmer and steep into a kind of tea, strain and add to some bottled barbecue sauce.
Susie
Where or where does one get hibiscus flowers?
Tish
This is super hot and fire! To tone it down, only do 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne and red pepper flakes. Skip the habanero. I used a seedless jalapeño and still hot. The bbq cooks off, but I can’t eat the sauce by itself.
CJ
Rhubarb is a delicious substitute for the dried hibiscus flowers! I finely chopped about a cup and added it in place of the hibiscus. I didn't have a habanero, and cut back a smidge on the cayenne and red pepper flakes and the sauce still had a good bite to it. Although I only had four thighs, I made the full amount of sauce and froze half. Very glad I did...so tasty.
Denise Phelabaum Evans
This five star review is for the hibiscus sauce. It’s fantastic! We like spicy but some of our guests don’t so I used one teaspoon red pepper flakes as well as cayenne, omitted the habanero, and it was still plenty ‘good’ hot. I reduced the dark brown sugar to one-quarter cut and increased the ketchup to a full cup. It’s a keeper!
Chuffed99
Visit a Salvadoran or Mexican grocer - the dried Roselle flowers are called “Jamaican” or “Jamaica” and is used for tea and even tacos (search here in Food). I cold brew it every week - herbalists use it for high BP.
NY
Don’t puncture or cut the habanero just simmer it whole in the sauce for a bit, you’ll get the lovely flavor and not a lot of heat.
bea
This was AMAZING !!! It will now be a part of our repertoire of recipes!! We paired it with fresh naan! Delish.
Marlene
Ursula (and others)...Amazon has hibiscus flowers. I use them for tea. Note: they don't weigh a lot, so a few ounces goes a long way.
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