My easy buttermilk roasted chicken recipe marinates chicken in a simple buttermilk mixture then roasts it to perfection in the oven!
When you think of buttermilk chicken, I bet you think of fried chicken recipes or air fryer chicken dishes. Well, you can make roasted chicken too by marinating the chicken to get an unbelievable flavor and a moist, tender texture. All the flavor, none of the fat!
Serve it with your favorite rich sides or eat it as leftovers in a sandwich — this buttermilk roasted chicken recipe is a dinnertime classic!
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What I Love About This Recipe
Who doesn’t love a chicken dinner? It’s homey, flavorful, and filling, in all the most soul-comforting ways!
- Easy to make — marinade and roast!
- No messy fryer to deal with
- Perfect chicken every time!
- Goes great with any sides
- Crowd-pleasing WOW!
How To Make Buttermilk Roasted Chicken Recipe
I promise this buttermilk roasted chicken recipe is so easy!
Start by mixing together your buttermilk, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and honey. Then divide your chicken into two plastic bags and pour half of the buttermilk mixture into each bag. Seal, place on a rimmed plate or dish, and refrigerate for up to two days.
When you’re ready to cook, heat your oven to 400, and take your chicken out of the fridge. Let the marinade drain off and line a baking pan with foil. Put your chicken in a single layer and roast for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven — this is important! — and allow the chicken to continue to cook for 7-10 minutes.
Serve with hearty sides, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
From the ingredients to the storage, I have all the tips to make sure your roasted chicken is lip-smacking good!
Ingredient Notes
Does cooking with chicken make you nervous? Never used buttermilk before? I got you covered!
- Marinade: The most important thing to do for this roasted chicken to be a success is to plan ahead and marinate it for 2 days. Buttermilk is a slightly more acidic dairy product, so letting your chicken sit in it will let the acid break down the meat, which gives you that wonderfully tender texture later on.
- Chicken: Because this recipe roasts the chicken instead of baking it, I think using bone-in chicken with skin on works significantly better. You get far more flavor from the bone, plus it helps keep your chicken moist!
- Dark Meat: If you use dark meat chicken pieces, after roasting the chicken for 45 minutes at 400, turn down the oven to 350 and continue to cook until chicken is done and juices run clear about 7-10 minutes.
- Rosemary:Â Ah, the aromatic herb! I use fresh rosemary when I can — it goes so beautifully with the chicken! — but dried works too. Know that you’ll need to use much less dried herb than you would fresh though. Don’t over season!
Tools to Make
To make this buttermilk roasted chicken recipe, you’ll need tools for two steps: the marinating and the cooking!
- Bowls for mixing
- Sealable plastic bags for marinating
- A rimmed baked dish for marinating
- Baking sheet lined with foil
- Tongs to turn the chicken
Got it? Now get to it!
How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge?
Always store your chicken in the fridge, whether it’s raw or cooked! The freezer is even better for raw, but we don’t want any nasty things growing on our delicious roasted chicken.
Once cooked, store your buttermilk chicken leftovers in the fridge for up to four days.
Can You Freeze This?
Yes! Chicken loves the freezer, in whatever form. You can make a whole batch of this chicken, and then either freeze it in the marinade process or freeze it fully cooked for up to four months.
Either way, let it thaw in the fridge overnight, then either cook it as normal or reheat and eat!
Make Ahead Tips
This recipe has make-ahead magic built right in! You must let the chicken marinate at least a day, preferably two. So go ahead and let your chicken get cozy in the fridge!
Serving Recommendations
My very favorite way to serve this buttermilk roasted chicken recipe is with some delicious sides! Go for my roasted green beans to carry that roasted flavor through, and add on a light, sweet strawberry spinach salad to balance out the baked flavors. Your dinner guests will be satisfied and happy!
Recipe Variations
What variations could there be with a chicken buttermilk recipe? Oh, plenty!
- Want to use a specific cut of meat? Try tenders for buttermilk chicken tenders and make a dinner every kid will love!
- The classic way to cook buttermilk chicken is to fry it — so go ahead and try buttermilk fried chicken!
- Don’t want the roasted flavor? You can get the same deep, delicious richness with buttermilk baked chicken (which requires a lower temp and slower cooking!)
- Toss some of your favorite veggies on your baking tray to get a full meal with roast chicken with vegetables!
Buttermilk Roasted Chicken
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breast halves, bone-in
- 3 cups buttermilk well shaken
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil divided
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together buttermilk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary, and honey until salt is dissolved.
- Divide the chicken pieces into 2- 1-gallon ziplock bags. Pour half of the buttermilk mixture in each bag. Press out as much air as possible and seal bags. Place on a rimmed dish or plate in case bag leaks. Refrigerate overnight or preferably for 2 days. Flip bag halfway through marinating time.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Take the chicken out of the ziplock bags and place on a wire rack so any extra marinade will drip off. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and place the chicken in a single layer on the pan. Drizzle chicken with remaining oil. Roast chicken at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, then turn off the oven, and allow the chicken to continue to cook (just in the remaining heat-don't open the door) for 7-10 minutes more or until chicken is done.
- Allow chicken to rest for about 7-10 minutes then serve.
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More Chicken Recipes
Even more chicken goodness is at your fingertips!
- Million Dollar Chicken – This lives up to its name, with rich satisfying flavors, a golden roasted skin, and juicy meat!
- Shoyu Chicken – A succulent dish that falls off the bone, chicken has never been easier!
- Roasted Chicken Wings – Great for game night and a delicious appetizer!
- Roasted Chicken Legs – This cheap chicken cut is a fun finger food
- Tandoori Chicken – Every Indian meal starts with good, flavorful tandoori chicken!
Conclusion
When it’s dinnertime, and you know you’ve got a buttermilk roasted chicken recipe waiting for you, something about your soul just gets extra happy. Buttermilk chicken is comforting and caring and ready to make your dinner delicious!
What sides did you serve with your buttermilk chicken recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Source: Slightly adapted from Nigella Lawson via The New York Times
Will this recipe work with a whole chicken?
Hi, Ashley. I haven’t tried this for whole chicken, but I think that’ll work. Adjust the baking time. Here’s the guide: https://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t–911/chicken-cooking-times.asp
I hope it works, let us know how it turns out <3
Mine is in the oven now. Can’t wait to taste it. I have it on convection because I am roasting some butternut squash at the same time and want the heat to distribute well. Thanks for the recipe!
Enjoy, CindyB! Let us know how it turns out 🙂
What does it mean to ” roast ” the chicken for 45 minutes in the oven versus ” baking ” it …confused ?
Hi, Debbie. Thank you for asking!I’m quoting from this reference.
“Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat and hot air to surround the food and cook it evenly on all sides. Food can be roasted over an open flame, an oven, or additional heat sources.”
“roasting requires a higher oven temperature of above 400°F for the cooking process, while baking takes place at lower oven temperatures around 375°F and below.”
🙂
Absolutely delicious, and before I put in oven I sprinkled abit of bagel seasoning on the chicken. great, great, taste and flavor. love your receipes. you can always tell you took time and thought in the preparation of them.
Hi, Barbara! I gotta try what you did, it sounds so good!
Thank you so much for appreciating all of my recipes. 🙂
Can you use less oil? Seems like a lot and wonder if it can be cut back a little.. Otherwise, this looks delicious. Do you eat the skin?
Hi, Susan. You can place paper towels to absorb the excess oil after it’s been cooked. You can also omit the skin after or before cooking. Enjoy!
Can you use bone n thighs?
Yes, you can!
I have not made this yet, Just the ingredients alone says this is a wonderful recipe This is one of those recipes you taste the flavors band not so over whelming you can’t taste the flavor of the meat. People may want to add a little extra salt but no other spices such as seasoning salts it may take away from the natural flavors.
This chicken is amazing and has become a family favorite! Yes, you need to plan ahead to fully marinate and develop the flavor but it is so worth the wait!
Thank you so much, MB! Yup, I agree 🙂
Wonderful flavor, I let it soak @36 hrs. So moist
Amazing! Thank you for your feedback, Paula. 🙂
Perfect,buttermilk does have enzymes that make chicken tender.
Right! 🙂
I had purchased a 1 lb container or powdered buttermilk, I’ve had a hard time finding full fat buttermilk in the store. It worked beautifully in this recipe, I used Italian Herb instead of rosemary because I didn’t have any on hand. Marinated a whole cut up fryer for 2 days. It was so moist and flavorful , my husband and I loved it!
I’m using the leftover meat for some tostadas tonight!!
Should have taken a pic but was hungry ?
I’m so happy you enjoyed this. Stella! Thanks for sharing your tweaks. I know it will be helpful to others!
I marinated this for 2 full days and although the chicken was quite moist, it didn’t deliver the flavour I expected. I thought the garlic and rosemary would have come thru but I didn’t taste either. Just more bland than I had hoped…
Patti, I say this with ALL the modesty in my heart, this is the MOST flavorful chicken in the whole world. I can not even comprehend why you thought it was bland. The garlic and rosemary come through in a lovely way and the chicken is deliciously flavored straight through to the bone. I’m sorry you are disappointed, but this chicken recipe is the most delicous chicken I’ve ever had.
Made this with boneless chicken breasts and roasted veggies underneath for 40mins on 200C (fan) and it was honestly the nicest chicken we’ve had for a very long time!
Wow, thank you so much, Jo! 🙂
Love this recipe but I had a question about freezing. Does the chicken get the same benefits of the days long marinade if put in the freezer right after it’s prepped? I didn’t want the chicken to marinate for several days then freeze because it was coming up on it’s life expectancy and I wanted to freeze right away.
Hey Brandi. I believe it will, but have not tested it out!
Followed recipe to the T. Perfect and the best chicken I ever ate!!!
Yaaay!! I really really love this chicken, I’m happy you like it, Cathy! <3
WOW, this looks amazing! How do you think Kefir would work in place of the buttermilk?
Hi Lynne! I haven’t tried using Kefir yet so I’m not sure how will it turn out. But if you give it a try, let us know! Happy cooking 😀
My new favorite chicken recipe
Happy cooking, Randalynn!
I Am a guy in the kitchen, hate dealing with charcoals flies heat and the Holiday clean up. Put the chicken in large plastic bowl., as opposed to sealable bags. Is One day marinate ok? Thanx for the easy step by step recipe. Question, would fresh basil be too overpowering for tis recipe ?
Hi Carl! Yes, you can marinate it for at least a day (better if two days tho). Basil is a good addition to this recipe. Hope this helps! 😀
Making this week, just made the marinade. Question, could I bake this on my convection oven setting, or just use regular bake setting?
Hi Cheryl! Yes, you can bake it in convection oven. I haven’t tried this method yet but I think you’ll have to lower the temperature since it’s faster to cook in convection than a regular oven. Hope this helps! 😀
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I marinated it yesterday and made it today. I used drumsticks. I will definitely be making this again! I’m (and my family!) so happy I came across this recipe and tried it.
That’s fantastic, Christina! So glad to hear you love it!