3 ½poundroasting chickena little more or less is fine
1bunchfresh thyme
¼cupunsalted butterroom 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
*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.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.
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.