Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Juicy whole Buttermilk Roast Chicken marinated overnight with garlic, herbs and spices, then oven roasted until golden. An easy make-ahead roast chicken for Sunday dinner, Christmas or entertaining.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Marinating time 6

Total Time 1 10

Servings

Calories 420kcal

Author Chhavi

Equipment

Oven
Zip Lock Bag
Baking Dish

Ingredients

1 Small whole chicken Preferably with skin, about 2.5–3 lb / 1.1–1.4 kg
2 quarts Buttermilk about 2-4 liters-Check notes*
1 Cup Fresh Herbs Check notes
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 tablespoon Salt seems a lot but only a fraction of this will get absorbed

Instructions

Mix together the garlic, paprika ,salt and buttermilk. Add the salt. The marinade should be very salty- as salty as sea water.
Put the chicken inside a freezer bag. Pour the marinade over it.
Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours to 48 hours.24 hours being ideal.
Take the Chicken out of the fridge. Discard all the buttermilk.
Dry the chicken with a kitchen towel. Make sure to remove all the buttermilk from inside.
Pre Heat the oven to 200 degree C or 400 F.
Prepare a roasting pan or a tray.
Place the chicken on the tray- breast side down.Tuck the wings under.
Bake is in the oven for 60-70 minutes rotating the pan midway.
Tent the chicken with aluminum foil if any part is browning too much.
Roast until a food thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads at least 165°F / 74°C. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken.
Let the chicken rest for 15-20 minutes before you serve it. This will make sure the chicken is moist.

Additional Step for Roast Potatoes

Remove the chicken from the baking pan. Mix the potatoes with the leftover juice. Return to the oven for 20 minutes at 220C or 420 F till they are crispy.

Notes

Potatoes & Other Vegetables

This step can be skipped if you need to.But the crispy potatoes cooked in the chicken fat and the leftover marinade are delicious!

Herbs

You can use any of the below herbs by itself or in combination

Parsley
Cilantro or coriander
Rosemary
Thyme
Oregano
Chives
Sage

You can use fresh or dried. For this recipe fresh would work better.

Here is a simple equation to substitute fresh herbs with dried herbs or vice versa

1 part of dried herbs = 3 parts of fresh herbs

To add more zing to the chicken, you can either add a spicier chili like Cayenne or green chilies in the brine.

Larger chickens: In the US, 4–6 lb whole chickens are common. Larger birds will need longer than the stated cooking time, so roast until the thickest part reaches 165°F / 74°C.

Buttermilk

Store-bought cultured buttermilk works well.

If you don't have buttermilk, plain yogurt thinned with water can be used as a substitute.

Use enough marinade to thoroughly coat the chicken inside a snug zip-lock bag.

Nutrition