Roast Chicken with crispy skin & juicy meat
My buttermilk marinade recipe produces a roast chicken with extra crispy skin and tender, juicy meat that falls off the bone. The perfect blend of herbs and spices make this Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken a mouthwatering favorite of my family, I make this roasted chicken recipe again and again and we never get tired of it. Marinating a chicken overnight in a buttermilk marinade and spices is a very traditional method in the southern USA prior to frying. The buttermilk, salt, and other spices act as a brine to really infuse a tremendous amount of flavor into the chicken.
This Buttermilk Chicken Marinade recipe is perfect for almost any method of cooking chicken where you want crisp, delicious skin. Fried, oven-roasted, and Buttermilk Rosemary Grilled Chicken are all tried and true. I’m not sure I would use the buttermilk marinade for smoking chickens, I think the low temperature wouldn’t produce a crisp skin, but never say never, I may give it a try one day.
Forget to buy Buttermilk for your Roast Chicken?
Buttermilk is one of those things we do not have in the refrigerator unless we have planned on it well in advance. Luckily, I have a very simple Buttermilk Substitute recipe for just such an occasion. Because you can’t make Buttermilk Roast Chicken without it! Or buttermilk pancakes, buttermilk biscuit, etc. etc.
What to serve with Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken
- My Mom’s Cornbread Dressing My mom got this Cornbread Dressing recipe from a little old church lady back in 1962. Lucky for us, she’s been making it exactly the same way ever since. The ingredients: cornbread, celery, onions, and sage, are simple and make this dish a comforting classic for your roast chicken.
- Glazed Carrots My Glazed Carrots recipe is definitely a throwback to my childhood. Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved the way my Mom and Dad made carrots. Buttery and sweet, their carrots always had a bright beautiful color and they were always the perfect side item with buttermilk marinated roast chicken.
- Pommes Anna This roast chicken recipe is perfect for an elegant dinner. My Pommes Anna recipe is a simple four-ingredient gorgeous dish of thinly sliced potatoes, butter, salt, and pepper. It is as beautiful as it is delicious. This beautiful potato recipe perfect contrast of a golden brown, crispy crust and the delicate creamy soft interior.
- Pommes de Terre Boulangères Pommes de Terre Boulangères is similar to a potato gratin only without the cream, just onions, stock, and potatoes. A very beautiful side dish, who doesn’t love perfectly roasted golden brown potatoes with their roast chicken?
Here’s my Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken recipe:
Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken
Equipment
- Roasting Pan
- Penzey's Spice Mix, 'BBQ 3000'
- Large Freezer Bag
Ingredients
- 1 4-Pound Chicken Whole or Skin-On Pieces
- 2 Cups Buttermilk or Buttermilk Substitute
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Rosemary
- 3 Tablespoons Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
- 1/4 Cup Penzeys Dry Rub 'BBQ 3000'
Instructions
- Truss the chicken and place it in a large freezer bag
- Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well
- Pour the buttermilk mixture into the freezer bag with the chicken and coat the chicken well
- Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, 24 hours is best
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Remove the chicken from the bag and drain off excess buttermilk, strain the marinade and brush chicken with extra rosemary and buttermilk marinade
- Place chicken in a roasting pan, roast for 20 minutes, rotate pan and roast another 20 minutes
- Continue to rotate every 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165F in the thickest part of the thigh, but not touching a bone.
- Remove from the oven once it reaches 165F, brush lightly with olive oil, cover with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
For trussing instructions go ‘HERE’
Olley thompson
looks GREAT must try this recipe
Dale
Could buttermilk brined chicken be cooked in a rotisserie oven/cooker? Sounds delicious but I would love to try on a rotisserie!
Steven
I think the buttermilk marinated chicken would be amazing on the rotisserie! Please let me know how it turns out.
MBAZ
How did you get the blackened effect in the photo? I like roast chicken but I never get crispy skin or broil marks. If I broil at end, it gets the whole skin blackened, not mostly crispy.
Steven
Great question, thank you. The dark crispy skin is from the buttermilk, the milk fats start to caramelize at a much lower temperature and give the chicken a beautiful appearance. Olive oil brushed on at the end will help crisp the skin as well and give it a little shine.
Leslie
Looks delicious. Can this be grilled?
Steven
I have used this marinade for grilled chicken and it’s awesome! Although when I grill it, I have always cut the chicken into pieces, not a whole bird. Please try it, you’ll love it!
Catherine
Could you spatchcock this, marinate per your recipe and grill it? It sounds amazing!!! Also, the cherry kanikaze’s sound amazing! Love a luxardo cherry!
Steven
Hi Cathrine, great question! This marinade is perfect for grilling in indirect heat, off to the side of the flames. Spatchcock is great, or if you have all legs or breasts, wings, etc. This marinade is awesome, leaving the chicken tender and juicy, not tough or chewy. And if you love Luxardo, you’ll love the Cherry Kamikaze and the Frozen Kentucky Summer Cocktail as well! Cheers, and happy grilling!
Jasmine
Is there another dry rub you can recommend? I am about 40 minutes away from the nearest Penzey store and I would love to try this tonight.
Steven
Hi Jasmine, I have a couple of dry rub recipes on my blog that you might enjoy. Here are the links to my recipes…
https://www.sipsnibblesbites.com/herb-buttermilk-marinated-turkey-breast/
https://www.sipsnibblesbites.com/smoked-honey-butter-pork-butt/
Cindy Dennis
My chicken is marinating as I write this. I had to substitute a couple of things which I hate, I’m a great cook but I’m by the book. If mine looks half as good as yours I’ll be ecstatic. Thank you for a great recipe.
Steven
Thank you, Cindy. I’m glad you tried the Buttermilk marinated roast chicken recipe.
Kate
Just made this buttermilk marinated roast chicken last night for a 9-man gold mining crew up here in Yukon, Canada. It was a hit!! I served your glazed carrots alongside and they went down a treat also. I’ll be making this one again!! Thanks
Steven
That’s really cool Kate, I’m glad you and the crew liked it! Canada’s Thanksgiving is coming up soon, you think the crew will like my cornbread dressing recipe? Good luck with the mining, I hope you guys strike it rich!
Rakel
Hi, me and my partner made the marinade on Saturday evening, used chicken pieces (thighs and drummers on the bone) cooked it last night for the family and oh my god it was delisssshhhhh, got the same nice colour as on your picture, we couldn´t move afterwards because we couldn´t stop eating. Thank you for sharing and have a good week 🙂 Rakel.
Steven
Thank you Rakel! I’m very happy you and your family enjoyed it! Steven