Dr Pepper BBQ Chicken Recipe

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There are few things better than sipping on a chilled soda on a hot day, especially when paired with barbecue food. But soda also makes an excellent addition to barbecue sauce. As such, recipe developer Jennine Rye created this Dr Pepper barbecue chicken recipe. Once you try it, you'll realize that spiking homemade barbecued chicken with Dr Pepper is a simple way to upgrade the dish. 

The perfect blend of sweet, fruity flavors and notes of subtle warm spices from the Dr Pepper makes for a really special barbecue sauce. The bubbly brown beverage introduces a wonderfully deep caramelized flavor to the barbecue sauce, which is then brushed onto the pieces of chicken in two stages. Doing so results in perfectly succulent and sticky-sweet barbecue chicken. So, to celebrate the icon that is Dr Pepper, why not give this baked recipe a go today and transform your homemade barbecue sauce game?

To begin this Dr Pepper barbecue chicken recipe, you will need to gather several ingredients. The barbecue sauce calls for a bottle or can of Dr Pepper, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. You will additionally need a mixture of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks, as well as your preferred barbecue seasoning.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Line a baking sheet with foil and add a wire rack on top. Set aside.

In a saucepan, add the Dr Pepper, ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.

Place the saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat and stir to combine the ingredients. Once simmering, reduce to medium.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced and thickened.

As the sauce is cooking, in a large bowl, toss the chicken thighs and drumsticks thoroughly with the barbecue seasoning.

Place the chicken onto the prepared baking sheet.

Cook the thighs and drumsticks in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and generously brush the entire chicken with the cooked Dr Pepper sauce.

Return the rack of chicken to the oven for 5 minutes.

Take the chicken out of the oven and brush it once more in the Dr Pepper sauce.

Bake for another 5 to 6 minutes until cooked through and sticky.

Serve while hot.

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If you enjoy browsing cookbooks, this likely won't be the first time you've come across soda in a meat-based recipe. Although it may seem like a sort of fad, there is actually good reason to pair soda with meat. Sodas can impart their own flavors into the dish and contain sugars that caramelize when cooked. 

In this recipe, Rye uses Dr Pepper's fruity and spiced flavors to add more depth and complexity to the resulting barbecue sauce. When brushed onto the chicken and baked, it brings about heaps of mouthwatering caramelized sweetness that a few spoonfuls of sugar could never replicate. Simply put, adding soda to barbecue sauce is an amazing hack to create an easy, showstopping sauce that is better than anything in a bottle.

Soda is also optimal for marinating, as it usually contains an ingredient called phosphoric acid, which acts as both a preservative and a flavor enhancer, giving beverages that classic soda tang. This ingredient helps tenderize meat by breaking down the proteins with the acid.

This recipe for Dr Pepper barbecue chicken is cooked simply in an oven, but for those who don't have access to one or are reluctant to turn on their oven, fret not. There are a variety of ways to cook this recipe, so choose what is most convenient for you. If you live the air fryer life, then air fry the chicken in batches for 15 minutes before coating them in a layer or two of barbecue sauce. Return them to the air fryer for another 5 to 10 minutes until cooked through and deliciously sticky.

Alternatively, you can also grill the chicken. The smokiness will add an extra layer of depth to the dish. Ideally, get the grill nice and hot before adding the chicken pieces. Grilling them should take about 30 to 40 minutes in total, so after about 25 minutes, you can start basting the pieces with the barbecue sauce. After you brush some of the sauce on, keep rotating the chicken to make sure it is cooked evenly. The chicken will be ready when the outside is sticky and brown and the internal temperature reaches at least 165 F, which you can check with a meat thermometer.

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