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The most flavorful, tender, juicy, and moist buttermilk roast chicken made with just three ingredients. This buttermilk-marinated roast chicken is AMAZING and so easy to make!
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Sometimes the easiest recipes are the most delicious.

This buttermilk roast chicken is just that.

I had very low expectations for this recipe.

It came from Samin Nosrat and I saw it on the Netflix show, Salt Fat Acid Heat (if you haven’t seen the show yet, get it on your list to watch ASAP!).

She made it seem so easy and delicious and you were practically drooling watching her cut into it.

However, when I read the recipe, I was wondering how the heck the buttermilk-marinated roast chicken could be as good as she was saying.

Again, I stand corrected.

The buttermilk roast chicken was INCREDIBLE.

So juicy, so moist, and so much flavor.

And with only three ingredients!!

And BARELY any hands on time.

You literally marinate a whole chicken overnight in buttermilk then put it in the oven and 1.5 hours later, you have the most succulent buttermilk roast chicken ever.

The most flavorful, tender, juicy, and moist buttermilk roast chicken made with just three ingredients. This buttermilk-marinated roast chicken is AMAZING and so easy to make!

No seasoning on the buttermilk roast chicken?

Nope, the buttermilk and salt does all the seasoning for you.

Of course, if you find it needs more, definitely season to taste but we ate it just as is and it was perfectly seasoned for our tastes.

What if I don’t have buttermilk?

Get some. This isn’t the time to make your own.

I believe you have to get store-bought/real buttermilk to get the right results because it’s cultured vs. acidified (via vinegar or lemon juice).

Milk and vinegar just doesn’t seem like it’d cut.

However, if you truly can’t find it, you can use plain yogurt!

What does the buttermilk do to the chicken?

The lactic acid in the buttermilk penetrates the chicken and helps to tenderizes it, retain moisture, and allows for added flavor to penetrate the meat more easily.

Can I have this in the fridge longer than 24 hours?

Up to 48 hours, no longer.

Can I have this in the fridge for less than 24 hours?

I highly recommend giving this a full 24 hours.

Can you freeze this mixture?

No.

Do you have to mix/massage the chicken throughout the 24 hours?

You can if you are inclined but you don’t have to.

The liquid doesn’t cover the entire chicken when it sits in the fridge.

It’s okay. It’ll still work.

The most flavorful, tender, juicy, and moist buttermilk roast chicken made with just three ingredients. This buttermilk-marinated roast chicken is AMAZING and so easy to make!

Do you have to tie the legs of the chicken?

I would

Do you have to use a roasting pan?

No, what I did was place a wire cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet then placed the chicken on top.

I also lined my baking sheet with foil.

Omg, the temperature is so high.

Yep, but it works.

Do you have to put the chicken in on a diagonal?

Yes, Samin says: the back corners tend to be the hottest spots in the oven, so this orientation protects the breast from overcooking before the legs are done.

Why do you put the legs towards the back of the oven? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

People do this but then the breasts dry out because they don’t take as long to cook as the legs. So, flipping the orientation protects the breasts from overcooking.

The exterior of my buttermilk roast chicken is getting awfully brown!

You can cover it with foil for the rest of the cooking process.

Shred the buttermilk roast chicken after it has cooled and make these recipes with shredded chicken:

The most flavorful, tender, juicy, and moist buttermilk roast chicken made with just three ingredients. This buttermilk-marinated roast chicken is AMAZING and so easy to make! #buttermilk #roastchicken #buttermilkmarinated #chickenrecipe #wholechicken
4.20 from 5 votes

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

This buttermilk roast chicken is the easiest chicken to make and yields the most flavorful, tender, moist, and juicy chicken you’ll ever have!
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Marinading time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 

  • 3 ½ – 4 pound (3402 g) whole chicken
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cups (473 ml) buttermilk

Instructions 

  • The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with a sharp knife. Season the chicken generously with salt then let it sit for 30 minutes.
  • Mix 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt into the buttermilk and stir until dissolved.
  • After 30 minutes, place the chicken into a gallon-sized plastic bag then pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Seal, massage a bit, then place into the fridge for 24 hours.
  • An hour before you want to cook the chicken, bring out the chicken and let it come to room temperature. Everything cooks more evenly that way.
  • Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C) and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a wire rack on top.
  • Take the chicken out of the bag and wipe off the buttermilk as much as you can. Don’t be obsessive about it; just as much as you can.
  • Place the chicken on top of the wire rack then with butcher’s twine, tie the legs together.
  • Place the baking sheet diagonally on the center rack in the oven then rotate the pan so the legs are pointed towards the rear left back of the oven.
  • Cook for 20 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 400 °F (204 °C) then rotate the pan so the legs are pointed towards the rear right back of the oven.
  • Let cook for another 30 minutes (more or less), until cooked through.
  • Remove chicken from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before carving and serving.

Video

Notes

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 305kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 46g, Fat: 15g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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18 Comments

  1. Lexi says:

    I did exactly what the direction said and after an extra 45 minutes of cooking, the chicken is still raw in the center. I think something isnโ€™t exactly right in the direction on your temperature and timing.

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      I’m sorry to hear that – how big and thick was your chicken? I have made this recipe countless times with the instructions and the chicken has not come out raw with the cooking time and temperature so I’m curious how big your bird was!

  2. Daren Garber says:

    CAN I MAKE GRAVY WITH THE LEFT OVER BUTTERMILK?

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      hmm i haven’t tried that before but i don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to

  3. JD says:

    Very, very good. Was impressed with the way it browned.

    Buttermilk brining is the way to go with fried chicken; I found this recipe searching for buttermilk roasting. It seemed intuitive.

    Substituted meat tenderizer and MSG in lieu of half the brining salt.

    Again, fantastic.

  4. Sherri R says:

    Are the carbs on the ingredients or for the part consumed? The reason I’m asking is you discard the marinade, and 25 carbs per serving seems to be REALLY high for mostly protein. I’m on the Keto diet, and foolishly didn’t look at the carb count until I came back to double check the instructions. Does the chicken absorb that many carbs from the buttermilk?

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      i think my nutritionist calculated the carbs on the ingredients

  5. Andrew Bachmann says:

    What % BF is the buttermilk you are using? Our stores carry 1%, 2% and 3%. What would you recommend? Thanks

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      I didn’t check! Our store only carries one buttermilk, that’s neat yours carries different %. I would go for 3%!

  6. Joi says:

    Iโ€™ve recently given up domestic chicken. Can I substitute for turkey instead?

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      Yes, it should work with turkey!

    2. D. Smith says:

      @Joi, You should order your domestic chickens from the Amish. I ordered 10 chickens which cost around $250 (that included shipping) and they are wonderful, although since they are raised naturally they do take longer to bake. But I grew up on home raised chickens, turkeys, grass-fed beef, etc., so I already knew this would take longer to bake. I started baking mine at 400 degrees (my oven has always baked HOT) and after 1 hour I turned it down to 375 and baked it for another hour, then reduced heat down to 300 and just let it go until the whole family was in the house and ready to eat. Sometimes I even turn off the oven for the last 1/2 hour or so and just let the bird start to cool while still in the oven. Depending on your oven, etc., there are many variations on how this recipe can be “done”.

      Good luck and give it another try, you won’t be sorry.

      **I also did not add too much extra salt because my family has to be careful with real salt. We generally use Himalayan Pink Salt *which has no sodium. We NEED sodium, but we also have to be careful with it. Water retention issues!

  7. Sharon Rausch says:

    I learn so much from you as well! Thank you so much for sharing your helpful information.

  8. Sharon Rausch says:

    I found your blog by chance. It’s amazing great effort. Thank you so much.

  9. COLLIER A says:

    That looks amazing! I always marinade my chicken for frying in buttermilk. Never thought to do it with a whole baked chicken. I will definitely try this! Thanks for sharing!

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      Enjoy!!

  10. Sue H says:

    Not whole chicken eaters in this household. Can I just use chicken breasts??

    1. Julie Wampler says:

      You can but you wouldn’t need nearly as much buttermilk and would probably take less time to cook. Can’t guarantee results though since breasts are pretty drying anyway but buttermilk *should* help keep it moist and tender.