This Kickin' Barbecue Chicken is a delicious family meal featuring tender chicken, colourful vegetables and black beans cooked in a rich barbecue tomato sauce with a little kick from fresh jalapeños. It's packed with flavour and makes a complete and satisfying meal.
The combination of smoky barbecue sauce, juicy chicken and vegetables creates a dish that's both comforting and easy to prepare. Serve with rice, potatoes or your favourite sides for a meal that's perfect for any day of the week.
Calories in Kickin Barbecue Chicken
This recipe serves 4 and is 370 calories per serving.
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If you're following a calorie-controlled diet or a healthy eating plan, it's important to calculate your daily calorie needs using a reliable calorie calculator. The calorie counts provided are estimates and can vary depending on the exact ingredients and portion sizes you use. Using your own calculations helps ensure you're meeting your individual needs. A calorie calculator can help you make informed choices and stay on track with your goals.
See the recipe card for full nutritional estimation.
Ingredients Notes
To make this recipe you will need the following ingredients:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs: Chicken thighs stay tender and juicy as they cook and work perfectly with the rich barbecue sauce. Be sure to remove any visible fat before using.
- Barbecue sauce: A good quality barbecue sauce is key to the flavour of this dish. Choose one you enjoy, as the sweetness, smokiness and spice level can vary between brands.
- Passata: Passata forms the base of the sauce and combines beautifully with the barbecue sauce. It adds richness without making the dish too heavy.
- Chicken stock: Stock adds extra depth of flavour and helps create a delicious sauce for the chicken and vegetables to cook in.
- Red onion: Red onion adds sweetness and colour to the dish. White or yellow onion can be used if that's what you have available.
- Baby carrots: These add natural sweetness and hold their shape well during cooking. If using regular carrots, simply peel and chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Courgette (zucchini): Courgette adds extra vegetables and absorbs the flavours of the sauce beautifully without overpowering the dish.
- Red pepper: Red pepper adds sweetness, colour and texture. Yellow or orange peppers work just as well.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic adds plenty of savoury flavour and complements the barbecue sauce perfectly.
- Jalapeños: These add a gentle kick of heat. Use one for a milder dish or two if you prefer a little more spice. Remove the seeds for less heat if desired. You can use jarred ones if you can't get fresh.
- Black beans: Black beans add extra protein, fibre and texture, making the dish even more filling and satisfying.
- Salt and black pepper: Season to taste, keeping in mind that barbecue sauce and stock can already contain some salt.
- Olive Oil Spray: Used for browning the chicken and vegetables with minimal added oil while still developing plenty of flavour.
Once you've gathered all the ingredients and prepared them accordingly, you're all set to create this easy and delightful recipe.
See the recipe card for specific quantities and instructions.
Variations and Substitutes
This Kickin' Barbecue Chicken is easy to adapt with different proteins, vegetables and beans depending on what you have available.
- Swap the chicken thighs: Chicken thighs give the best flavour and stay wonderfully tender as they cook, but you can use chicken breast if preferred. Just keep in mind that chicken breast cooks more quickly and can dry out more easily, so you may need to reduce the cooking time slightly.
- Try pork instead: Diced pork loin or pork tenderloin works really well with the barbecue flavours. As with chicken breast, adjust the cooking time as needed to avoid overcooking.
- Change the beans: Black beans are a great match for the barbecue sauce, but kidney beans, pinto beans or mixed beans can all be used instead.
- Adjust the heat: Use more or fewer jalapeños depending on your preferred spice level, or leave them out altogether for a milder dish.
- Switch up the vegetables: Courgette, peppers and carrots work beautifully, but you can also add sweet potato, butternut squash, mushrooms, corn or green beans.
- Use a different barbecue sauce: The flavour of the dish will vary depending on the barbecue sauce you choose. Smoky, honey, spicy or bourbon-style barbecue sauces all work well.
- Add extra vegetables: Stir through some spinach or kale towards the end of cooking for an easy way to add more greens.
- Make it vegetarian: Replace the chicken with extra beans or a meat-free chicken alternative and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
- Add a cheesy topping: Sprinkle some grated cheddar, mozzarella or a Mexican-style cheese blend over the top before the final few minutes of cooking and bake until melted for a delicious cheesy finish.
Side Suggestions
This Kickin' Barbecue Chicken is packed with chicken, vegetables and beans, making it a complete and satisfying meal on its own. If you'd like to stretch it further or feed a larger crowd, there are plenty of delicious sides that pair perfectly with the smoky barbecue flavours.
Serve it with fluffy rice, Lime and Coriander Rice, Mashed Potatoes or some homemade Garlic and Herb Potato Wedges to soak up the delicious sauce. Extra vegetables are always a great addition too, such as broccoli, green beans, asparagus, sweetcorn or a simple medley of roasted vegetables. For something lighter, pair with a mixed salad of lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers and red onion, or add some homemade coleslaw for a fresh, crunchy side that complements the barbecue flavours perfectly.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Storing: Allow the dish to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing: This recipe freezes really well. Portion into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat in a saucepan over a medium-low heat until piping hot, stirring occasionally. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave. If the sauce has thickened during storage, add a splash of stock or water to loosen it.
Top Tip: This is a great recipe for batch cooking, as the flavours develop even more after a day or two, making leftovers just as delicious as when freshly made.
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Recipe Card
Kickin Barbecue Chicken
This Kickin' Barbecue Chicken is a delicious family meal featuring tender chicken, colourful vegetables and black beans cooked in a rich barbecue tomato sauce with a little kick from fresh jalapeños.
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, remove all visible fat. (approx 680g/23.9oz)
- 2 teaspoons of paprika
- 4 tablespoons of barbecue sauce (use a good brand)
- 1 cup (240g) of passata
- ½ (120ml) of chicken stock
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 cups (250g) of baby carrots
- 1 zucchini (courgette), roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1-2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
- 1 cup (180g) of black beans, drained and rinsed
- olive oil spray
- Salt and Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), 160°C fan or Gas Mark 4.
- Season the chicken thighs with the paprika and a little salt and black pepper.
- Spray a large frying pan with olive oil spray and place over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until lightly golden on all sides. Transfer to a large ovenproof dish.
- Spray the frying pan with a little more olive oil spray. Add the onion and garlic and fry until softened and lightly caramelised. Transfer to the ovenproof dish with the chicken.
- Add the carrots, courgette (zucchini), red pepper and black beans to the dish and mix to combine.
- In a jug, whisk together the barbecue sauce, passata and stock. Pour over the chicken and vegetables and stir gently to coat everything evenly.
- Scatter the sliced jalapeños over the top.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 30 minutes, until the chicken and veg is cooked through and the sauce has reduced slightly
- Serve with your choice of sides.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
- WW Points and other Slimming or Weight Loss programs - due to plans regularly changing and updating, we recommend calculating with the official tools you get as a member to those plans to ensure accuracy of values.
- Gluten Free Friendly - use gluten free stock
- Dairy Free Friendly
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly - - see freezing and reheating section.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 370Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 271mgSodium 753mgCarbohydrates 33gFiber 7gSugar 18gProtein 40g
Nutritional information and values etc are an estimate and is to be used for informational purposes only. Ingredients can vary greatly from brand to brand and therefore it would be impossible to give accurate information. It is always advised that you calculate by the ingredients you use.
Anne McAnally says
Had this for dinner tonight... so tasty