By the time your dinner is done and the meat is buttery tender with juices drizzling down the with every slice, your stomach is going to be doing some serious growling.
This dish is not just going to make your mouth water — it's going to make it gush.
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Table of Contents
❤️ Why you'll love it
- Just look at that perfect, buttery-crisp skin
- Super easy process for ultra-tender, juicy meat
- Impressive enough to serve to in-laws during the holiday season or as a family dinner all week
Buttermilk roast chicken is a simple Southern way to truly make the most fragrant, tempting, drool-worthy chicken dinner!
The aroma of it as it is roasting sends lemony and garlicky scents wafting through the house.
Buttermilk brining is the key to a protein that's so delicious, you'll forget all about fried chicken—brined and oven-roasted is the way to go.
We love this old fashioned recipe served with southern fried cabbage and bacon.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Place whole chicken in a gallon-size bag and fill it with the buttermilk brine. Refrigerate chicken overnight or for at least eight hours.
- Pat dry, place chicken into a shallow roasting pan, and slide lemon slices under the skin.
- Rub the chicken with butter and seasoning.
- Sprinkle with fresh herbs and roast. Cooking time varies based on size.
🥫 Storage
Buttermilk-brined chicken is seriously delicious, and, cooked properly, will taste just as good the next day... and the day after that.
In fact, 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.
Warm up your buttermilk-brined roast chicken in an oven, covered with a sheet of foil. Alternatively, pop it into the microwave, heating it just until it's hot—any longer and you risk drying out the meat.
On the other hand, you can enjoy it cold! Sometimes, we'll sneak a piece of juicy chicken right out of the fridge and onto a sandwich—a lunch I crave weekly.
📖 Variations
- If you don't want to cook a whole bird, use this same recipe for chicken breasts, legs, or wings. Brine for 45 minutes. Then, watch the cooking closely and check with an instant read thermometer, since individual cuts will cook more quickly than the whole chicken.
- You can use olive oil instead of butter (for the rub) if you need to.
- I prefer thyme sprigs, but you can use other herbs depending on the flavors in your dinner. Rosemary, sage, and/or parsley are also good.
- You can use garlic powder instead of fresh minced garlic if you prefer a milder flavor or don't have any cloves.
- If you're familiar with outdoor cooking, you can roast the chicken on a charcoal grill or smoke it in a smoker.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: The buttermilk brine tenderizes the meat, but if you let it sit too long, you'll end up with chicken mush! Don't brine chicken any longer than 24 hours for a whole chicken and no more than 8 hours for chicken parts. The brine will start to break down the chicken.
- Smaller chickens have more bones than meat, so try to find the largest bird you can. This way, you'll get more bang for your buck.
- If you don't want to roast it you can also use a rotisserie.
- Adding fresh herbs, celery, onion, carrots, or even fruit to the cavity of the chicken while it's roasting gives it even more flavor.
- Be sure to place your bag of brine/chicken in a large bowl in case it leaks in the fridge. That's a mess you don't want to deal with!
- 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.
- Pour a bit of water underneath the rack in your roasting pan to prevent the drippings from burning.
- If your oven is small, or the chicken is large, the center rack in your oven might be too high. You want the chicken itself in the center of the oven, so lower the oven rack accordingly.
- Chicken is cooked when an instant-read thermometer shows an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest part of the chicken.
- However, 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 at 160.
- Done eating? Save the chicken carcass (bones) for homemade broth!
👩🍳 FAQs
Absolutely! Roast chicken can last for up to four months in the freezer as long as it's sealed well. Remove from the carcass the part of the chicken you wish to freeze and store it in plastic freezer bags. Thaw in the fridge before enjoying as you please!
When people refer to marinade, they're mostly trying to impart flavor to their meat. A brine, on the other hand, tenderizes the meat, too. So, technically, we're working with a buttermilk brine, not a buttermilk marinade in this recipe.
If it's your first time working with a whole bird, you'll get a little surprise. Like a Thanksgiving dinner turkey, whole chickens sometimes have the giblets inside the cavity in a small pouch. Remove it and do with it what you please—or toss 'em in the trash.
You can use a cast iron pan or a baking sheet and any oven-safe metal rack. If you don't have a rack, that's fine, but the bottom of the chicken will cook in the juices so it won't be as crisp.
📚 Related recipes
- 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!
🍽️ Serve with...
- Red Skin Mashed Potatoes are always a good choice with roasted chicken. You can use any drippings to make a delicious gravy.
- Southern Green Beans are usually cooked for hours but use my method and get the same flavor in a fraction of the time.
- Buttermilk Biscuits are light and fluffy. Serve them hot with butter and use them to soak up the gravy!
- Pecan Praline Coconut Pie is out of this world delicious. Try it!
📞 The last word
To say that Texans are fond of their buttermilk is like saying that a cat is fond of catnip. Buttermilk goes in everything.
You pretty much can't make biscuits, cakes, or doughnuts with out it — and once you are done reading this you won't be able to make roast chicken without it either.
This is one of those meals that women used to make when they wanted to get themselves a husband. You could probably at least get some new shoes out of it — it's that good.
We 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.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Brined Roast Chicken
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 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.
- 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 165F.
- Discard the lemon and serve.
Notes
- 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.
- Smaller chickens are more bones than meat, so try to find the largest bird you can. This way, you'll get more bang for your buck.
- Be sure to place your bag of brine/chicken in a large bowl in case it leaks in the fridge. That's a mess you don't want to deal with!
- 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.
- Pour a bit of water underneath the rack in your roasting pan to prevent the drippings from burning.
- If your oven is small, or the chicken is large, the center rack in your oven might be too high. You want the chicken itself in the center of the oven, so lower the oven rack accordingly.
- 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
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.
First published October 1, 2014. Last updated May 15, 2023 for better images, more helpful tips and information, and overall better experience.
Sharyn says
Can you spatchcock the bird either before or after? Or would you not recommend doing that and just cooking whole?
Marye says
I'm sure you could. I never have.
JustMe says
Making this now, and I have 2 questions:
How much salt?
"1 tablespoons kosher salt"
1 Tbsp or more than 1?
Also, what is the purpose of step 1? Why would I slice a lemon 24 hours in advance? (It evidently does not go into the brine liquid.)
Thanks in advance.
Marye Audet says
1 tablespoon and the step one was accidently left in after I updated - I used to put the lemons in before brining.
Renee's Kitchen Adventures says
I love buttermilk so much, I always have some on hand! I've got to give this recipe a try!! It looks delicious!
shelby says
I haven't brined with buttermilk but there is a first time for everything! Looks delicious.
Kim (Feed Me, Seymour) says
Until this past year, I'd never used actual buttermilk. I went with the milk and vinegar trick and let me say, real buttermilk has no substitute. I love the idea of brining the chicken in it. Definitely need to try this soon!
Katrina says
What a delicious looking chicken. Love the idea of brining it in buttermilk, afterall, we do that with fried chicken.
Amanda @ Cookie Named Desire says
This sounds amazing. I love the idea of brining the chicken and using buttermilk. It looks so delicious