Buttermilk Brined Roast Chicken
February 07, 2019
After trying my crispy roast chicken using Thomas Keller’s no-brine method, I heard about Samin Nosrat’s recommended buttermilk roast chicken which she showcases in her Netflix TV Show “Salt, Fat, Acid Heat”.
Nosrat uses this recipe’s simplicity to showcase the effects of heat, so she only uses three ingredients, but once you master this recipe you can experiment with adding parsley, paprika and other flavorings to enhance the flavor of the chicken.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken
- 2 cups buttermilk
Equipment
Instructions
- Remove the wingtips of the chicken by cutting through the first wing joint with kitchen scissors. Season the chicken generously with salt and transfer to a large gallon-size ziploc bag and cover with buttermilk. Refridgerate overnight.
- The next day, remove the chicken from the fridge and let come to room temperature, about 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Truss the chicken legs, or poke a hole in the skin and thread the leg bones through the hole.
- Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off excess buttermilk.
- Place the chicken on a raised rack. You want the drippings from the chicken to come off and away from the rest of the bird.
- Place the chicken into the preheated oven. Nosrat notes that the oven is hottest at the back of the oven so you will want to rotate the pan so the thighs are pointing towards the rear of the oven.
- After 20 minutes, when the chicken skin starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400 degrees F and continue roasting for another 40 minutes, until a thermometer measured at the thickest portion of the thigh measures 165 degrees. When you insert a knife into the chicken thigh the juices should run clear.
- When the chicken reaches the desired temperature remove from the oven and rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes.
- Carve and serve immediately.
This recipe was adapted from:
Written by Will Chiong who lives and works in New York building useful things.