Step 1 of 4

Season and start the chicken dry

Heat the oven to 400°F. Pat the drumsticks and thighs dry, rub them with the olive oil and the salt, and spread them out in a roasting pan without crowding. Bake them plain to begin with.

— Sauce from the start means sugar in a hot oven for three quarters of an hour, which is how barbecue chicken ends up black and bitter.