Juicy Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Buttermilk roast chicken with fresh sage.

Juicy Buttermilk Roast Chicken

This buttermilk roast chicken recipe with garlic and herbs delivers perfectly golden, juicy chicken every time. Chicken dinner done right!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword buttermilk chicken, buttermilk chicken marinade, buttermilk roast chicken

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Marinating time 1

Total Time 1 40

Servings

Calories 324kcal

Author Alida Ryder

Ingredients

2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp salt + 2 tbsp salt for seasoning the chicken
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 whole chicken, cut into portions Alternatively, use 1lb/500g chicken pieces

For roasting chicken

4 thyme springs
handful fresh sage leaves
10 garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Season the chicken with a few tablespoons of salt, ensuring every part of the chicken is seasoned.
Stir together the buttermilk, salt, pepper and thyme leaves in a medium bowl.
Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag.
Pour the buttermilk brine over the chicken, cover and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours but ideally overnight.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
Remove the chicken from the marinade then blot off any excess marinade with paper towels.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan or baking dish (A large cast-iron skillet can be used too) then drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper.
Add thyme, fresh sage and garlic cloves.
Place in the oven and allow to roast for 20-30 minutes (roasting time will differ if using smaller or larger pieces of chicken) until the chicken is golden brown, crisp and cooked through.
Cover with foil halfway through if the skin is browning too fast for your liking.
Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve.

Notes

Seasoning the chicken ahead of marinating might seem pointless but it adds to the overall seasoning of the dish. The amount of salt might seem a bit much but a lot of it will be removed with the buttermilk marinade but the chicken will remain seasoned all the way through.

Can I make this ahead?

The chicken can be marinated up to 24 hours before cooking. Chicken can be roasted up to 2 hours before serving and kept warm until you're ready to serve. Leftover roast chicken can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Nutrition