I’ve been on a buttermilk kick recently. After developing a serious craving for buttermilk fried chicken a few weeks ago, but wanting to cook at home instead of eating out, I decided to research methods of doing a roasted version instead.
I found recipes in the cookbooks on my shelves (including The Essential New York Times Cookbook
There’s an internet trail of buttermilk roast chicken adaptations that leads back to a Nigella Lawson recipe from 5 years ago, in which she marinates the chicken for 2 hours before roasting it. Smitten Kitchen made a great adaptation by increasing the marinating time and adding paprika and sugar to the marinade. Life is Great took this one step further by making her own buttermilk and roasting in a cast iron skillet with goose fat.
How much do I love this dish? I made it 4 times in the course of 1 week, testing it after 2 hours, 7 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours of marinating. And as you may be able to guess, the longer marinating times are recommended. After 2 hours you can detect the buttermilk flavor, but it’s relatively faint. After 7 hours it was wonderful. And after 1 to 2 days? Heaven on earth with a choir of angels in the background. The buttermilk flavor is more pronounced in the meat itself than in the skin, and the meat is so lusciously tender I wouldn’t blame you if you wept a little.
I ended up using more buttermilk and more paprika in the marinade than the Smitten Kitchen and Life is Great recipes, and added a bit of rosemary in the final 10 to 15 minutes of roasting for a subtle hint of rosemary in the finished dish. Extra paprika and sea salt finish off the skin nicely. Roasted potatoes is a no-brainer side, but you can serve the chicken with a simple salad with vinaigrette.
And after doubling the portions and ending up with a lot of chicken, I had no problem eating leftover chicken for breakfast too. Three days in a row.
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Buttermilk Roast Chicken
Serves 4
- 3 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks
- 3 cups buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon paprika, plus more for sprinkling over the chicken
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- Very generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- In a large bowl, stir together the buttermilk, paprika, sugar, salt, and black pepper. The buttermilk will turn a nice light shade of pink.
- Place the chicken in a gallon-size freezer bag and pour the buttermilk brine over it. Seal the bag and shake so that all the chicken pieces are well-coated. Allow the chicken to marinate 2 hours at the bare minimum, or ideally 7+ hours, or 1 to 2 days for the best flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan or sheet tray with foil or parchment. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and arrange them in the pan. Brush the tops with the olive oil, then sprinkle a bit of salt and enough paprika to add a nice red hue to the top. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes. In the last 10 to 15 minutes of roasting, carefully slide the pan out half-way, sprinkle a bit of rosemary over the chicken, then return the pan to roasting. The chicken is done when the top has a deep golden-reddish hue and juicy-looking all over. Transfer the chicken and rosemary to plates and serve with roasted potatoes or a side salad.
Adapted from Life is Great, Smitten Kitchen, and Nigella Lawson
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More recipes with buttermilk around the web:
- Buttermilk Brined Southern Fried Chicken from Local Milk
- Lasagne with Buttermilk Bechamel from Tasting Notes / Astor Wines & Spiritis
- Buttermilk Coconut Pound Cake from Scissors and Spoons
- Rhubarb Buttermilk Muffins from Wishful Chef
- Whole Wheat Buttermilk Silver Dollar Pancakes from Kitchen Treaty
Just started the marinate for tonight’s dinner, very excited to try this. The photos look amazing btw.
OMG I LOVE Buttermilk Fried Chicken but this seems much healthier and I can’t wait to try them!
The chicken was moist and tender. I used thyme instead of rosemary. I still think you need to double up on the spices again. Otherwise a really good recipe.
Barb – So glad you made it! It’s definitely my go-to chicken now.
Cookie – It’s healthier than fried chicken, yet still insanely juicy, a tiny bit decadent, and wonderful in all ways that roast chicken is wonderful. I hope you enjoy it!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! The meat was so juicy and perfect! Do you think this would be good with chicken breasts as well?
Leah – Buttermilk will keep the chicken pretty moist; chicken breasts won’t be as juicy as thighs or whole legs. but they’ll still work as a substitute if you shave 5 to 10 minutes off the cooking time, depending on the thickness. Hope that helps!
I am so into this! I just tried subbing kefir for buttermilk in pancakes today. Wonder if, weird though it sounds, it would work with chicken as well.
Kimberley – I’d be curious as well! If you do try substituting kefir, let me know how it turns out.
Thanks for linking up to my blog! This recipe sounds really good. I hadn’t thought of marinating chicken in buttermilk, but am looking forward to trying it soon.
Thanks for linking to my lasagna! Your recipe sounds (and looks) really delicious, and even though I loved fried chicken this is something I’m much more likely to make because frying is such a mess in the kitchen.
Marie – No problem, and thanks for stopping by! I’m definitely going to try buttermilk pound cake the next time I make this chicken and have buttermilk left over!
Sarah – Thanks! I had never thought of buttermilk in lasagne, but it seems like a great substitute for milk in a bechamel sauce. Love all the other suggestions you have for buttermilk too!