Buttermilk Brined Roast Chicken

This buttermilk brined roast chicken is Southern comfort on a platter—juicy, tender meat, golden crispy skin, and flavor that goes clear down to the bone. It’s the kind of recipe that makes people talk about you in the best way—like, “did you taste her chicken?” kind of talk. Simple ingredients, a little patience, and you’ve got dinner that feels fancy without trying too hard.

Total time for the recipe to be finished.Total Time 9 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

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Some recipes whisper. This one struts in wearing heels and red lipstick. Buttermilk brined roast chicken isn’t just dinner—it’s the kind of meal that makes people sit up straighter at the table and wonder if you’ve been secretly training with Paula Deen on the weekends.

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❤️ Buttermilk brining is the secret

Buttermilk brined roast chicken is the simple Southern way to truly make the most fragrant, tempting, drool-worthy chicken dinner!

• So juicy you’ll wonder why you ever settled for sad, dry bird. Even the breast meat tastes like it got a spa day.
• Skin so crispy it practically shatters—fried chicken is jealous and frankly, it should be.
• Zero fancy chef moves required. Brine it, roast it, look smug while everyone acts like you trained in Paris.
• Leftovers? Ha. Good luck. This chicken mysteriously vanishes from the fridge like it’s auditioning for a magic act.

🧾 Ingredients you'll need for this roast chicken recipe

Simple ingredients that will keep your chicken from turning out drier than the preacher’s last sermon.

• Buttermilk – the tangy magic potion that makes chicken juicier than gossip at a church potluck.
• A whole chicken – yes, the entire bird. Not wings, not nuggets. The big clucker in all its glory.
• Butter – because honestly, has a recipe ever been worse with butter? Didn’t think so.
• Fresh garlic – keeps vampires away and makes your kitchen smell like you know what you’re doing.
• Fresh thyme – those dainty little leaves that say, “Look, I’m fancy,” without actually being fancy.
• Lemons – sunshine in fruit form, plus they make you look healthy while you’re bathing a bird in butter.
• Kosher salt – the difference between “meh” and “marry me.” Don’t skip it.

Get tips, faqs, variations, and more in this free, downloadable kitchen cheat sheet.

📖 Recipe

Buttermilk Brined Roast Chicken Recipe

4.12 from 9 votes

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This buttermilk brined roast chicken is Southern comfort on a platter—juicy, tender meat, golden crispy skin, and flavor that goes clear down to the bone. It’s the kind of recipe that makes people talk about you in the best way—like, “did you taste her chicken?” kind of talk. Simple ingredients, a little patience, and you’ve got dinner that feels fancy without trying too hard.

Course Main Dish - Chicken

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Brining time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 9 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings:9

Calories:483

Author:Marye Audet-White

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ lemons
• ▢ 1 quart buttermilk
• ▢ 4 garlic cloves, , crushed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• ▢ 3 ½ pound roasting chicken, a little more or less is fine
• ▢ 1 bunch fresh thyme
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

• Mix the buttermilk, garlic, and salt in a bowl.
• Put the chicken in a large bag and pour the buttermilk mixture over the top.
• Seal, pressing out all of the air, and put in the refrigerator. Keep it in a large bowl in case of leakage.
• Brine for 8 to 24 hours.
• Remove chicken and rinse. Don't save the buttermilk for anything - it is not usable.
• Pat dry inside and out.
• Slice half of a lemon.
• Gently loosen the skin on the chicken and slide the lemon slices between the meat and the skin.
• Place the remaining half lemon and half of the thyme in the cavity of the bird.
• Rub the skin with butter, season with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning.
• Sprinkle liberally with the remaining thyme, chopped fine.
• Place the chicken on a roasting rack and cook at 425 for 30 minutes.
• Reduce to 350 and roast until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160℉, about 25 minutes more.
• Let stand for ten minutes before carving. The temperature will continue to rise to a safe 165℉.
• Discard the lemon and serve.

Notes

*Buttermilk and lemons are not figured into the nutrition info since they are discarded.

Storage:

The chicken keeps for up to four days, as long as it's refrigerated. Store leftover chicken (cooled to room temperature, first) in an airtight container or cover tightly with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 4 months.

Warm up your buttermilk-brined roast chicken in an oven, covered with a sheet of foil.

Tips:

• The buttermilk brine tenderizes the meat, but if you let it sit too long, you'll end up with chicken mush! Any longer than 24 hours and the brine will start to break down the chicken.
• Don't save the buttermilk after pulling the chicken out of it. At this point, it's contaminated and not suitable for further use.
• Sometimes you can make your own buttermilk with lemon juice and whole milk, but for this brine, you want to use real buttermilk. Substitutes won't work well here.
• When temperature-checking a whole, roasted chicken, insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh and check for 160 F degrees. A whole chicken will continue to cook a bit from the residual heat, so it's safe to pull it out at 160.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 483kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 186mg | Sodium: 1297mg | Potassium: 393mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.02g | Vitamin A: 1897IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.

🔪 How to make buttermilk brined roast chicken

Let’s do this. Instructions so easy you’ll have time to sip wine and look smug.

1. Tuck that whole chicken into a gallon-size bag like it’s going to summer camp and drown it in buttermilk brine. Seal it up, stash it in the fridge overnight (or at least eight hours), and let the magic happen while you mind your own business.
2. When it’s ready, pull that bird out, pat it dry like you’re blotting lipstick, and settle it into a shallow roasting pan. Slip a few lemon slices under the skin—yes, under. It’s weirdly satisfying, like giving the chicken a citrusy little facelift.
3. Now for the good stuff: rub that bird down with butter and your favorite seasonings like you’re not afraid to get messy. Sprinkle fresh herbs over the top so it looks like you know what you’re doing (spoiler: you do).
4. Slide it into the oven and roast until it’s golden, crispy, and smelling like Sunday supper. Cooking time depends on the size of your chicken, so keep an eye on it and act like you’re in charge—because you are.

📚 More recipes that’ll earn you bragging rights

• Hearty, oven-roasted dinners always please the whole family, and this Old-Fashioned Bottom Round Roast Beef recipe is sure to do the same!
• Crispy-baked French Onion Chicken is a homestyle dinner packed with flavor and texture. Plus, it's so versatile, you can serve it with anything.
• With delicious garlic and parmesan flavors, tender Creamy Lemon Chicken is cooked in one pan and takes less than a half-hour!

🍽️ Round out your Sunday dinner with these recipes

• Red Skin Mashed Potatoes – Creamy, buttery, and perfect with roast chicken. Don’t forget to drizzle those pan drippings into gravy heaven.
• Southern Green Beans – Normally they simmer half the day, but my shortcut gets you the same smoky, savory flavor in way less time.
• Buttermilk Biscuits – Fluffy, steamy little clouds that demand butter—and are perfect for sopping up every last drop of gravy.
• Pecan Praline Coconut Pie – Sweet, nutty, and just plain outrageous. The kind of dessert that makes people “accidentally” ask for seconds.

We also like it served with this easy creamed cabbage. It's old fashioned country comfort food that's perfect for chilly nights. During the summer I'll often set a batch of these crockpot collard greens to simmer in the morning for a real, southern Sunday dinner.

One bite of this bird and people start making lifelong commitments. At the very least, somebody’s doing your dishes.