Guava BBQ Sauce Chicken (Printable)

Tender roasted chicken with caramelized guava BBQ glaze

# What You'll Need:

→ Guava BBQ Sauce

01 - 1 cup guava paste, chopped
02 - 1/2 cup ketchup
03 - 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
04 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
05 - 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, gluten-free
06 - 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 - 1/4 cup water

→ Chicken

13 - 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, approximately 2 pounds
14 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
15 - 1 teaspoon salt
16 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
17 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.
02 - In a saucepan over medium heat, combine guava paste, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, and water. Stir continuously until guava paste melts and sauce reaches smooth consistency. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat.
03 - Pat chicken thighs dry using paper towels. Rub all surfaces thoroughly with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.
04 - Arrange seasoned chicken thighs skin-side up on prepared baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
05 - Brush chicken generously with guava BBQ sauce. Return to oven and roast for 20 to 25 minutes additional, brushing again at the halfway point. Chicken is complete when internal temperature reaches 165°F and glaze is caramelized.
06 - Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Plate and accompany with reserved sauce on the side.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The chicken skin gets impossibly crispy while staying juicy inside, and that guava glaze caramelizes into something you'll want to scrape off the pan.
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen, but you're really only working for about 15 minutes of actual hands-on time.
  • Guava brings this unexpected sweetness that makes people ask what's in it, and you get to be mysterious about your secret ingredient.
02 -
  • Don't brush the sauce on until the 25-minute mark—if you do it earlier, it'll burn and taste bitter instead of caramelized, and there's no coming back from that mistake.
  • Guava paste varies by brand, so taste your sauce as it simmers; some pastes are sweeter than others and you might need to adjust the brown sugar or vinegar to find your balance.
03 -
  • If your glaze looks too thin after simmering, let it go another few minutes—it'll thicken more as it cools slightly, and you want it to coat the chicken like a glaze, not drip like a sauce.
  • For extra char and complexity, hit the glazed chicken under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes at the very end, but watch it like a hawk because it'll go from golden to burnt in seconds.
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