By Samin Nosrat
- Total Time
- About 1¾ hours, plus overnight marinating
- Rating
- 5(7,254)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe, adapted from Samin Nosrat's "Salt Fat Acid Heat," is inspired by the Southern grandma method of marinating chicken overnight in buttermilk before frying it. You're roasting here, but the buttermilk and salt still work like a brine, tenderizing the meat on multiple levels to yield an unbelievably juicy chicken. As an added bonus, the sugars in the buttermilk will caramelize, contributing to an exquisitely browned skin. Be sure to leave 24 hours for marinating the chicken. While the beauty of roast chicken is that you can serve it anytime, anywhere, try serving it alongside panzanella, which plays the role of starch, salad and sauce.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1chicken, 3½ to 4 pounds
- Kosher salt or fine sea salt
- 2cups buttermilk
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
671 calories; 45 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 58 grams protein; 1274 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
Step
1
The day before you want to cook the chicken, remove the wingtips by cutting through the first wing joint with poultry shears or a sharp knife. Reserve for stock. Season chicken generously with salt and let it sit for 30 minutes.
Step
2
Stir 2 tablespoons kosher salt or 4 teaspoons fine sea salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in the buttermilk. (If the chicken won’t fit in a gallon-size bag, double up 2 plastic produce bags to prevent leaks and tie the bag with twine.)
Step
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Seal the bag, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. If you’re so inclined, you can turn the bag periodically so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but that’s not essential.
Step
4
Pull the chicken from the fridge an hour before you plan to cook it. Heat the oven to 425 degrees with a rack set in the center position.
Step
5
Remove the chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can without being obsessive. Tightly tie together the legs with a piece of butcher’s twine. Place the chicken in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a shallow roasting pan.
Step
6
Slide the pan all the way to the back of the oven on the center rack. Rotate the pan so that the legs are pointing toward the rear left corner and the breast is pointing toward the center of the oven. (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.) Pretty quickly you should hear the chicken sizzling.
Step
7
After about 20 minutes, when the chicken starts to brown, reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue roasting for 10 minutes.
Step
8
Move the pan so the legs are facing the rear right corner of the oven. Continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so, until the chicken is brown all over and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and the thigh. If the skin is getting too brown before it is cooked through, use a foil tent. Remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.
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7,254
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Cooking Notes
elh
Look, I have never written about a recommendation before, but I would be unfair if I didn't tell anyone reading this that this really is the best roast chicken recipe I've made. And I make roast chicken a lot as we believe a good roast chicken is the perfect food. For years, we've said, "Is it better than Marcella's?" The answer's always no. Until tonight. Don't do any of the ya-di-dahs recommended--make it as is--and love every bite.
Paul
Hey y'all, I think the objective here was to get your impression of this recipe not for you to talk about your own creations. Just saying....
Claude
I think the idea was for people to react in any way they wanted. Commenting on the recipe or suggesting other related ideas are equally valuable in my opinion.
Julie Spencer
You can freeze your leftover buttermilk in 1-cup portions or any convenient size. It keeps very well and defrosts quickly.
Kate NYC
OMG. I've been roasting chickens for 40 years and I've done them all: Child, Hazan, with rosemary and without, stuffed with lemon or empty, basted or brined, and the Zuni Cafe version that set off the smoke detectors not only in my apartment but also in my neighbors' above and below. But this version is in its own class as the best of them all. It also helped me appreciate Nosrat's lessons about salt. She is a genius.Best of all? It just tastes like chicken. Juicy and delicious chicken
Jena' Hatchett
This is the best roasted chicken I've ever made. Moist and tender. Beautiful color. And that's with cheating on the marinating time. I didn't realize it should be done overnight. I'm 70. Been cooking for 60 years. That's a lot of roasted chicken. So glad to find this recipe.
Arthur
Before trying this, compare with the other NY Times version, where the roaster is butterflied and then marinated in buttermilk, garlic, peppercorns, salt, rosemary and honey. Calls only half the salt, so go figure (or taste!). https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/7264-buttermilk-roast-chicken.
Gary
This was quite delicious! I used store-bought buttermilk and marinated the chicken for about 20 hrs. There was no sign of mushiness from the marinade, and the chicken was extremely tasty and juicy. I roasted it on a rack set over a roasting pan in which I put some cut-up potatoes and carrots and a handful of whole, peeled shallots. The chicken juices and the residual buttermilk gave the veggies a nice flavor as well. I'll definitely make this again!
sophie
Best roast chicken I’ve ever made/had/seen!! Prepared this according to Samin a few times now and I’ve learned 2 days marinating is better than 1. And if you like a very crispy chicken, I’ve refrained from turning the temp down until it had ~10 min of cooking time left.
MarciaSF
Easy enough and yielded a really moist chicken. I don't know if it's significantly better than my go-to Zuni Cafe roast chicken recipe which uses a dry brine, but was interesting to try. Do yourself a favor and line your pan with foil or make sure you've really scraped off most of the buttermilk. What puddled in the pan beneath the chicken really burned and glued itself to the roasting pan. Dish guy/husband was not thrilled.
karen
I've roasted many chickens but this is the best! I stuffed the cavity with a small Meyer lemon. While the chicken rested after roasting, poured the pan juices into a fat separator then added chicken broth. Meanwhile deglazed the iron skillet with dry vermouth. Then added defatted juices and simmered until rich in color. Delicious.
Aileen
Works well with chicken thighs.Can substitute yogurt.Can add harissa or other herbs.Can reduce any smoke issues by heating a cast iron skillet at 350 for 30 mins, then add chicken and continue at that heat.
el
After reading the reviews I decided to go with heating the cast iron skillet in a 350 degree oven for 30 mins then putting the chicken and continued at that temperature. Worked great with no mess or smoke detector issues. Chicken was fabulous.
Laurie Dunn
Can someone tell me how (or if) cooking time should be adjusted if I’m using bone-in, skin-on thighs?
Claudia
Suggest marinating in a glass bowl to avoid single-use plastic bag. Better yet if the bowl has its own lid! Also I suppose if using cut up parts, the pan rotating will be unnecessary?
Leah
Six stars. Perfect chicken. I don’t have a rack so I roughly chopped some Yukon gold potatoes and yellow onions, seasoned w salt and pepper, and put the chicken directly on them. I’ve made it 3 times in 4 weeks. The carcass cooks up into a nice stock too.
pat
Preheat the cast-iron skillet. Might want to flip the bird over at the end to crisp the bottom.
Sarah
I thought it was good but not great. I usually dry brine my chicken with salt, then before baking make a compound butter with lemon zest, chopped herbs, butter, and pepper that goes under and over the skin. This recipe was easier than my usual but with inferior results.
John M
I did 4 game hens according to this brining recipe, 2 each in big ziplock bags.I was surprised how tasty and juicy it turned out, and my kids loved it too. I do think I will do it again.I skipped the twine and oven choreography described, just slam it in there at 450 and forget about it.Is there anything I can do with the buttermilk/salt/poultry effluvia? Seems a shame to rinse it down the sink.
Hal
The buttermilk from the brining had a subtle gamy flavor that haunts me to this day. Savory eggnog comes to mind. Great holiday treat for those in-laws who are slow to warmup to the idea of you cooking for the holidays.
Katie
I made this once in the oven exactly as directed and it was perfect. Then I got adventurous and followed directions through the marinade, but spatchco*cked and grilled instead of roasting the chicken whole. Still perfect! The buttermilk brine can do no wrong.
Susan from Nashville
This is just amazing! Best roast chicken ever! Made it almost exactly as written (only exception was that I spatchco*cked it) for this Sunday’s dinner, Monday was chicken sandwiches on sourdough with cranberry orange relish, tonight was the carcass turned into killer chicken noodle soup. I will make this again and again. Brilliant, Samin Nosrat!
Juliana
We enjoyed the simplicity of this recipe almost as much as the juiciness of the chicken. I was skeptical of the cast iron skillet, but it was an inspired choice. I cooked the chicken 15 minutes longer than the recipe suggested as it was still pink near the bone and the juices hadn't yet run clear at the recommended cook time. Next time I make this I'm going to try placing the chicken in the center of my oven, and leaving it in one place.
lori online
This is now the only way I will make a roast chicken...stellar recipe and technique.
Cate
I love this recipe. I put the chicken in the buttermilk the night before, and realized the next morning I had forgotten the salt! I added it to the bag, squished it around, and let it marinate for about seven hours. It still turned out great! I also tucked butter and rosemary under the skin and put half a lemon in the cavity, and the drippings made delicious gravy. This is a keeper.
DGM
Re failure to brown: Try using the Convection setting. If you do, Use 400 degrees, not 425 degrees, and check temps sooner in case you have to shorten cooking time, often an issue when using Convection setting. Good Luck!
ayse
Best roasted chicken I’ve ever had!!!
Susan
Like some others, I have cooked many chickens over the years following instructions from numerous chefs and cookbook authors. This recipe is my favorite. I followed it to the letter except I was only able to find low fat buttermilk
V
Added powdered garlic, onion, smoked paprika & whole peppercorns to marinade, roasted it on top of thinly sliced potatoes, shallots, leeks, garlic & herbs tossed with tiny bit of melted butter. SO GOOD! Going to try turmeric in marinade next time. Inadvertently sat in marinade for 48 hours due “life happens” and it was not an issue. Chicken obsessed hubby loved it.
Lynsay
I’ve tried this recipe exactly as written twice. My chicken skin isn’t browning evenly. In Step 6, when the oven is on 425, she says “Pretty soon you should hear chicken sizzling.” Mine isn’t. It just sits there bald, white, and silent. Any ideas?
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