buttermilk herb brined roast chicken

My favorite brine for chicken is this buttermilk-herbed version. Perfect in it’s simplicity; the buttermilk acts like an acid to breakdown the chicken, without making it mushy, and yet creating a perfectly tender and flavorful bite.

Spatchcocking the whole chicken and roasting it over vegetables not only up the flavor game, but make it the perfect one pot meal.

Ingredients:

1 4-5 lb whole chicken

1 quart buttermilk

1 bunch italian parsley, chopped

1 bunch scallions, chopped

1 bunch basil, chopped

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

3 Tbsp butter

3 carrots, peeled and cut in fourths

1 leek, sliced and washed

3 red potatoes, quartered

3 stems of rosemary

6 stems of thyme

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 Tbsp evoo

Directions:

In a large ziplog bag, or sealable container add buttermilk, parsley, scallions, wocestershire sauce, 2 tsp salt, 1 tsp white pepper, and chicken. Let sit in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 500.

Place carrots, potatoes, leaks, rosemary, and thyme in large cast iron pan. Toss with evoo, chicken stock, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Remove chicken from bag and pat dry. Spatchcock the chicken, placing the removed backbone in the pan with the vegetables. Rub ghee over the entire chicken and place breast side up over the vegetable mixture.

Place pan in center rack of oven, and cook for approximately 60 minutes and juices run clear… or until a thermometer inserted into the breast reads 165 degrees.

Remove chicken from the oven, tent, and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.

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