Buttermilk Whole Roasted Chicken

Averie Sunshine
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Published: Apr 20, 2026
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Buttermilk Whole Roasted Chicken 🍗👏🏻 is brined in seasoned buttermilk before being baked with onions and garlic for the JUICIEST, most flavor chicken with crispy skin! Easy, very hands-off, and you’ll have leftover chicken to enjoy for the week for sandwiches, salads, or to use in other recipes. The perfect family-dinner roast chicken recipe!

Whole roasted chicken in a white dish with browned skin, surrounded by onions, with bowls of mixed vegetables, rice, and rolls in the background.

Easy Buttermilk Whole Roast Chicken Recipe

A person slices a roasted whole chicken with a knife and fork in a white dish.
Close-up of roasted chicken with crispy skin, sliced breast meat, and pieces of cooked onion.

Ingredients in Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Buttermilk Brine: Buttermilk, water if necessary, garlic, kosher salt, dried rosemary, black pepper. Other herbs such as thyme, oregano, or poultry seasoning may be added.

Raw whole chicken on a cutting board surrounded by olive oil, garlic, dried herbs, milk, salt, an onion, and a bowl of water.
A plate with slices of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables. Nearby are bowls of mashed potatoes and vegetables, a fork, knife, and bread.

Buttermilk Tips

While there are ways to DIY your own buttermilk by souring milk with lemon or vinegar, or various powdered buttermilk substitutes, since it’s the star of the show I recommend picking up a carton of buttermilk. It’s the star of the show and not the ingredient to mess around with because you need 4 cups buttermilk. If you live near a Trader Joe’s, theirs is economical and my go-to.

Whole Chicken: I suggest using a 4 to 5-pound chicken for this recipe. Remove the neck, giblets, or other chicken parts stuffed in the cavity and discard. If your chicken was previously frozen, make sure you allow sufficient time (about 24 hours in the fridge) for it to thaw completely.

Roasting: Yellow onions (or white onions), whole garlic bulb, olive oil, kosher salt.

Salt Tips

Make sure to use kosher salt or fine sea salt and not table salt in both the brine and roasting. Table salt has a different flavor AND your roast chicken would turn out far too salty tasting.

Two tablespoons kosher salt is the correct measurement (not teaspoons) for the brine, and while it sounds like a lot, it’s the right amount for the best flavor and for proper tenderizing of the meat.

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

A fork holds a piece of turkey with gravy, with sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables on a plate in the background.
Roast chicken cut into pieces and served with roasted onions on a white platter, surrounded by bread and utensils.

How To Make Buttermilk Roasted Whole Chicken

  1. Brine: To a large bowl, add all the brine ingredients and stir. Add water if you need to top off the bowl because your chicken was on the larger side.
  2. Chicken + Brine/Marinade: Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap (or seal the bag), and marinate for at least 4 hours, up to 24 hours in the fridge. The sweet spot is about 8-12 hours. Any longer is not ideal because the acid in the buttermilk will break down the protein in the chicken too much and your chicken will seem soft and mushy. Less than 4 hours is also not ideal because it’s not long enough to do much.
  3. Roasting: Evenly scatter the onions in a Dutch oven, roasting pan, or cast iron skillet. Halve the garlic bulb, add salt, toss to coat. Place the chicken on top of the onions with the breast side up, add garlic into the cavity, tuck the wingtips under the carcass, tie the legs together if you have twine or kitchen string, blot excess brine with paper towels, sprinkle salt over the exterior, and roast for 30 minutes on the center oven rack in the center of the oven.
  4. Check + Tent if Necessary: After 30 minutes, brush or drizzle a bit more olive oil onto the skin, and roast for another 30-45 minutes, or until the deepest part of the chicken breast is 160-165F (thighs are 175F) measured with a thermometer. Tent with foil if the exterior is browning too much.
  5. Rest: Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving with a very sharp knife and serving. Optional – While the chicken is resting, you can make Homemade 15-Minute Gravy using the pan drippings and juices. Halve the quantities in the recipe linked.
  6. Serving: I serve buttermilk whole roasted chicken and onions with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, green beans, roasted broccoli, or a house salad.

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for step-by-step photos and process shots of the cooking process.

Whole roasted chicken in a white dish with browned skin, surrounded by onions, with bowls of mixed vegetables, rice, and rolls in the background.
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Buttermilk Whole Roasted Chicken

🍗👏🏻 Brined in seasoned buttermilk before being baked with onions and garlic for the JUICIEST, most flavor chicken with crispy skin! Easy, very hands-off, and you'll have leftover chicken to enjoy for the week for sandwiches, salads, or to use in other recipes. The perfect family-dinner roast chicken recipe!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Marinating Time + Resting Time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Total Time: 9 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8

Equipment

Ingredients 

Brine

  • 4 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tablespoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 4-5.5 pound whole chicken, (thawed fully if it was frozen; remove and discard neck, giblets, etc.)
  • 1-2 cups water, if necessary

Roasting

  • 2 whole yellow onions, peeled and chopped into 4 wedges each (sweet Vidalia or white onions may be substituted)
  • 1 whole garlic bulb, sliced horizontally in half
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Instructions 

  • Brine: To a large bowl, add the buttermilk, kosher salt, dried rosemary, pepper, garlic, and stir to combine.
  • Gently submerge the chicken, breast-side down, in the brining liquid. If the chicken needs more coverage, add 1-2 cups water to the mix, gently swish it around to mix it. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
    Alternatively, you could add the brining liquid to a very large zip top bag, at least 5 gallons in size, add the chicken, seal the bag, place it in a large bowl as insurance (just in case it springs a leak) and place that in the refrigerator.
    Raw whole chicken marinating in a bowl of milk with herbs sprinkled on top, set on a light-colored surface.
  • Marinate/Brine: Allow the chicken to brine in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours. The sweet spot is 8 to 12 hours.
    Tip – Don't brine it for longer than 24 hours because the acid and the buttermilk will cause the protein in the chicken to soften, and it will turn out mushy; and less than 4 hours is not enough time for it to do much.
  • Remove & Pat Dry: About 30 to 45 minutes before roasting, remove the chicken from the fridge because you do not want to bake with fridge-cold chicken. It will throw off the baking time and the overall cooking.
    Using paper towels, pat the surface of the chicken dry.
  • Preheat: Preheat your oven to 400°F, place a rack in the middle of the oven, and eyeball things to make sure that your chicken will be able to enter the oven and clear the top. Lower the height of the oven rack if you need to do so.
    Tip – If your chicken is larger than 5 pounds, I recommend roasting at 350F rather than 400F because otherwise the exterior could become overly browned before the interior cooks through.
  • Roasting: To the pan, add the quartered onions, halved garlic bulb, drizzle with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and toss to coat evenly.
    A white Dutch oven containing quartered onions, a halved head of garlic, and drizzles of oil, all arranged on a light surface.
  • Place the chicken on top of the onions with the breast side up, place the other halved garlic bulb in the cavity of the chicken, evenly sprinkle the top of the chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
    Tuck the wings (wingtips) under the chicken, and if you have kitchen twine or kitchen string, tie the legs together; and if you don't, they can flop.
    Whole raw chicken placed in a white pot surrounded by quartered onions on a light-colored surface.
  • Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove it from the oven and evenly drizzle or brush with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil.
    Whole raw chicken seasoned with salt, placed on top of sliced onions in a white Dutch oven, ready for roasting.
  • Return the chicken to the oven and continue to roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until a digital thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the breast reads 160 to 165°F; and in the thigh it reads at least 175°F. Do not guess, use a thermometer!
    Tenting Tip (important) – If at any time during the roasting process, the chicken skin is looking overly dark or brown, tent it by draping a sheet of foil over the chicken to protect it from direct oven heat. Variations in buttermilk, the chicken itself and its size, oven variances and heat output, etc. will impact the browning and baking time. If you need to tent after the first 30 minutes because it's already looking quite golden browned, go for it.
    Roast chicken with crispy skin in a white pot, surrounded by cooked onions, with side dishes including mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a bread roll nearby.
  • Resting: It's mandatory to rest the chicken outside of the oven (you can keep it in the pan) for 15-20 minutes so that the natural juices redistribute. It's also important because the internal temperature will continue to rise out of the oven and the breast meat needs to come up to 165°F if you pulled it out a bit early.
    Close-up of roasted chicken with golden brown skin and roasted onion pieces on a white plate.
  • Optional, Gravy: While the chicken is resting, you can optionally make gravy using the pan juices. Halve the amounts of drippings, broth, and seasonings in this 15-Minute Homemade Gravy recipe.
    A spoon pours creamy gravy over a slice of turkey breast, with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables on the plate.
  • Slicing and Serving: Slice the chicken and serve it with the roasted onions and your choice of mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, green beans, roasted broccoli, a house salad or your favorite side.
    A plate with sliced roast turkey topped with gravy, mashed potatoes with more gravy, and mixed vegetables including carrots, corn, peas, and green beans.

Notes

Usage: You can use this chicken in Chicken Chopped Salad, Chicken Sliders, 30-Minute Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Chicken Noodle Casserole or any recipe that calls for shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken. 
Storage: Leftover chicken will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat gently in the microwave if desired or serve chilled.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 371cal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 26g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 2531mg, Potassium: 427mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 356IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 166mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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A whole roasted chicken being carved with a knife and fork, with a close-up of a fork holding a slice of chicken topped with gravy, served with mixed vegetables.
A whole roasted chicken in a pan with onions above a plate of sliced chicken breast topped with creamy sauce, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.
Whole roasted chicken with browned skin in a baking dish, surrounded by onions, shown whole and sliced. Text reads: “Buttermilk Whole Roasted Chicken.”.

more easy roasted chicken & Turkey recipes

A buttermilk whole roasted chicken being sliced with a knife, served with roasted onions on the side.
A golden-brown roasted chicken in a pan, and a slice of chicken breast with creamy sauce, mashed potatoes, and vegetables on the side. Text reads: "Buttermilk Whole Roasted Chicken.
Sliced roasted chicken breast with gravy, mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables on a plate; a whole roasted chicken being carved with a knife.

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