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This sweet and spicy pulled baked chicken (that’s a mouthful I know but this chicken is just that; a delicious mouthful) is so easy, juicy, light and tasty! We were overstaffed at work so I got to stay home for part of the day and this chicken happened.
Our friend Jennifer graciously invited us over for dinner awhile back and she served us this chicken. It was so good! She shared the recipe with me. Her friend Melinda L. shared it with her. I love when a recipe has some history behind it. You know it’s amazing if a recipe has been “around the block.” That means it’s delicious enough to share and now I’m sharing it with you. Thank you Jennifer and Melinda so much! My husband and son REALLY loved it too!
Ingredients for Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken:
4 chicken breasts
Ingredients for the sauce:
3 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
How to make Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, mix and simmer for 3-4 minutes then set aside.
2. Place 4 chicken breasts in a 9 x 13 baking dish then pour sauce over the chicken. Using tongs, coat the chicken in the sauce.
3.Cover baking dish tightly with foil, bake 10 minutes at 450°F, then 1 ½ hours at 350°F (no need to turn the chicken while baking).
4. After the time is up, remove chicken from the oven. Using a couple forks, pull the chicken apart. The chicken will soak up the sauce and become ultra juicy and flavorful.
Serve over rice or buckwheat kasha. Seriously this chicken is delicious!
Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
Sauce Ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp ketchup
- 2 Tbsp vinegar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan, mix and simmer for 3-4 minutes then set aside.
- Place 4 chicken breasts in a 9 x 13 baking dish then pour sauce over the chicken. Using tongs, coat the chicken in the sauce.
- Cover baking dish tightly with foil, bake 10 minutes at 450°F, then 1 ½ hours at 350°F (no need to turn the chicken while baking).
- After the time is up, remove chicken from the oven. Using a couple forks, pull the chicken apart. The chicken will soak up the sauce and become ultra juicy and flavorful.
- Serve over rice or buckwheat kasha. Seriously this chicken is delicious!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I think the sauce amount for 4 breasts was not enough. There weren’t much sauce left at all.
Hi Olga, I would suggest making sure you don’t use a dish larger than 9×13 and be sure it is covered when it goes into the oven. Also, if you shred the chicken really finely, it will absorb more of the sauce since the chicken meat will soak up more with more surface area. I hope that helps for next time! 🙂
Hey, this is a great, ive tried this before several times and like it! Thanks for sharing, but i have a question, i want to try and do this for a party, what would you recommend doing if i want to do this a day before and then just reheating on the next day? Also how much chicken should i use for around 15 people 8-10 pieces and just double the sauce ingredients?? Thanks!
Hi Julia, I think this is best fresh but if you had to, you could make it ahead. I would double the chicken and double the sauce. The chicken soaks up the sauce so if you don’t double it, it will end up a little dry. You might consider my slow cooker version of this same chicken if that helps with your time frame.
Hi Natasha,
Love your recipes. This was amazing, everyone loved it. Can you use slow cooker for this recipe?
Yes!! 🙂 https://natashaskitchen.com/2014/12/13/slow-cooker-chicken-tacos/ Its even easier in the slow cooker 🙂
Great recipe for left over chicken parts after making a stock. Thanks Vadim and Natasha for a great recipe. I hope you get a tv contract one day.
You are welcome Alex and thank you for the nice review.
I just made this tonight and my husband LOVED it!!! Thank you for sharing such a delicious and easy recipe.
That is so GREAT!!! Thanks Lynn 🙂
Made this recipe a fe times already and I LOVE it!!!!! SO juicy and moist. Thanks!!!
Vitaliya, thank you for such a great review and you are welcome :).
This looks delicious! What type of vinegar did you use? Apple cider?
Thank you Kelly and I used just regular distilled white vinegar :).
This was very helpful as I had the same question, thank you.
I find myself returning to your website for user friendly recipes and videos.
You’re welcome!
Absolutely delicious! Tried both in the oven and slow cooker, hubby loved it! Definitely a favorite!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you!
Hi Natasha! This chicken was beyond perfect! We ate it for 2 days stuffed into tacos (with all the fixings, of course), and then I still had leftover meat and made chicken wraps for everyone for lunch. It was delicious. Thank you!
Julia, thank you so much for a such a great review and you are welcome :).
I made this tonight. It was yummy. I added a lot of sriracha sauce though for serving because I like spicy hot 🙂 I didn’t bake it as long as suggested because I didn’t have enough time 🙂 But, served it over rice. Thanks!!
Augustine, I’m so glad you liked it. My husband and I love spicy food too, but we have to keep things toned down for our son 🙂
Awesome recipe. I doubled it for a birthday party and cooked it in a slow cooker. Turned out very good!
MMMM that’s one thing I haven’t tried is a slow cooker for this. I usually bake. How long did you slow cook it for and at what setting?
Made this for dinner last night and my husband said it’s the best thing I’ve ever made! Bonus that it was super easy to make. Thanks, as always, for the wonderful recipe!
I’m so happy you both liked it. Wasn’t it easy? I made it for company recently and everyone loved it 🙂
Oh this will absolutely be my go-to recipe now for when guests come over!
Hi. I have a question about the water. In the list of Sauce Ingredients it says 1/2 cup water but in the picture it says 1/4 water. Which is right?
I forgot that was in the picture. It’s 1/2 cup water 🙂
Great! Thanks for replying.
I’m planning on doing the recipe this weekend.
Hopefully it will turn out well *fingers crossed* 🙂
I hope you love it! 🙂
Love the recipe! We did it w/ 1 chicken breast and 6 thighs. The white meat turned out better than the dark meat.
That’s great to know! I haven’t tired it with dark meat. Thanks Gracie!
Super easy. Super tasty. Hit with my kiddo. Perfect for a big batch for a party to make pulled chicken sandwiches. I used two large chicken breasts and all the juice was nicely absorbed. For 4 large breasts I will double sauce ingredients. Served it with potatoes and a big bowl of tomatoes+onions+cucumber+red wine vinegar. Yum!
Gosia thank you so much for a great review! I’m so glad you liked the chicken 🙂 It is great for sandwiches!
This recipe is super easy to make and very delicious. I added red pepper flakes to mine to give it that extra spice. Thanks for the recipe, along with many others you have posted!
I’m so so glad you liked it! 🙂 I love the idea of adding some red pepper flakes. Brilliant!
LOVE this recipe! Just made it and I can’t believe how juicy it is! What an awesome and easy recipe! I am eating this as I type! 😀
Andy, thanks for the great review, your comment is music to my ears :).
Hi do you know how many pounds of chicken I would need. Thanks
I wish I had measured it. I want to say 2 to 2.5 lbs.
Me and my husband both enjoyed this recipe! But I making more sauce for the second round of this recipe… Just needed a little bit more sauce…
I’m so glad you liked it! I think that’s a good idea, especially if you’re using it like a podliva (gravy) over rice.
I’ve made this recipe a few times now and i just can’t get over how amazing it tastes. One of my all time favorites.
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you love the recipe 🙂
Has anyone made this in the slowcooker?
Ptichka73 wrote: “Another delicious recipe, Natasha! I used a squirt of dijon mustard and I put everything in the slow cooker and it came out very juicy. We served it on soft flour tortillas with sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and shredded cheese.” I haven’t tried it personally. Let me know how you like it!