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: 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
Hi! Sounds delicious however I am not a rosemary fan. Any ideas for a substitution?
Thank you!
Maybe fresh thyme.
Can I use olive I as vegetable oil ?
Yes!
Hi…newbie cook here. Thanks for the recipe! I made it last week, tasted great but I have a question. When baking it in the oven, there were 2-3 times that I used a napkin to soak up the water/juices that came out of the chicken while cooking. I did this b/c I wasn’t sure if it would dry up on its own or whether it would have ruined the meal. Did I do the right thing? Should I just let the water/juices sit?
Hi James. I just let the juices sit!
i made this recipe, it had a great flavor . However it was on the dry side Any suggestions on getting the meat more tender next time? Bone in chicken is very thick pieces, so maybe a different type of chicken cut???
Honestly, Angela, I think the chicken had to be slightly overcooked. It should have been wonderfully moist!
Hi Kathleen,
I wanted to find out if I could grill the chicken instead of baking?
Hi, Lannie! That a great idea. I pulled the instruction from my Pollo Asado recipe:
-Prepare grill. Remove chicken from marinade and discard marinade. Cook the chicken over the hotter part of the grill l until it’s lightly browned all both sides, 6 to 8 minutes for a charcoal grill or 10 to 14 minutes for a gas grill.
-Turn the chicken skin side down on the cooler part of the grill, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat, but not touching the bone, reaches 165°F.
Let us know how it turns out!
Grilling worked great! I added some oregano to the recipe but very good! Thank you!!
Yaaay! I’m glad it turned out great! Thank you too for your update 🙂
I wondered if I can use a fryer chicken cut up and if so how would the timing differ if at all?
Hi, Kat! I haven’t tried this with Air Fryer. But I grabbed the instructions from my Air Fryer Chicken Recipe:
1. Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees for 5 minutes.
2. Place coated pieces of chicken in a single layer in the bottom of the air fryer. Set the air fryer to 390 degrees for 18-30 minutes (depending on size of chicken pieces and brand of Air Fryer) or until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 when inserted into the thickest part of the chicken, not touching the bone.
anything to be done with leftover mainade? it smells delicious … wonder if i can add some wine and boil to a safe sauce …?
Sounds like a great idea!
I routinely purchase boneless skinless chicken breasts. I read above about marinating the boneless breasts maximum 24 hours but what about cooking time? Thanks I also purchase a lot of boneless skinless thighs so would appreciate the cooking time on those. Thank you for sharing this great recipe,
This is my go to chicken recipe! Thank you for sharing this deliciousness with the world.
Thank you so much too, Betsi!
Is this made with skin on or skinless? Can it be made without the skin? Can’t wait to try it .
Hi, Marla! I make this with skin on. Yes, you can make this skinless. Let us know how it turns out. Enjoy!
I’m not a fan of vegetable oil what could I substitute for that?
Hi, Angela. Any oil you have will do (palm, corn, coconut, olive, etc)
Can I use chicken thighs bone in skin on
Hi, Diane. Yes. 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 the chicken is done and juices run clear about 7-10 minutes.
This sounds delicious! I am not fond of bone in chicken breasts. Could this be made with boneless? Thanks!
Hi Holly. Yes, you can but reduce the marinating time to a maximum of 24 hours.