Crispy roasted buttermilk marinated chicken thighs come together with just 15 minutes of prep and a handful of pantry staples!
Table of Contents
This is the 2nd time I’ll be making this roasted buttermilk marinated chicken dish. Obviously it was so good that I’m makng it again! This is being added to my regular favorites!
– Liz
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- I’ve shown buttermilk marinated chicken thighs here, but you can use one large chicken cut into pieces, or about 4 lbs. of bone-in skin-on chicken pieces of your choice. For instance, if you prefer just the chicken breast, only the drumsticks, or just the wings, go with that!
- Marinating chicken in buttermilk is a classic step in preparing a traditional Southern fried chicken recipe, and the process works equally well for the roasted chicken shown here. The buttermilk keeps the chicken tender and juicy, and also adds flavor to the meat. Because buttermilk is only slightly acidic, it tenderizes the chicken without toughening up the meat.
- Allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk mixture for at least 30 minutes. For the best flavor and texture, 4-8 hours (or more) is ideal. You can even let it sit in the marinade overnight — just cook the chicken within 24 hours.
- You do not need to rinse the buttermilk marinade off of the chicken for this recipe. Instead, use paper towels to pat the chicken pieces dry. Along with the oil that you brush on top, this will help the skin get nice and crispy in the oven.
- The total cooking time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your chicken and on the temperature of the meat when it goes into the oven. As a result, a meat thermometer is always the best way to know when your chicken is done. It will be perfectly tender and juicy when it reaches 165°F.
Serving Suggestions
Throw some of your favorite vegetables onto a separate rimmed baking sheet, toss with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper (or all-purpose seasoning), and roast in the 400°F oven for about 30-35 minutes at the same time that you roast the chicken. Good options for roasting include small gold or red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. In addition to the roasted vegetables, your buttermilk chicken will be delicious alongside maple glazed carrots, roasted butternut squash soup, Southern cornbread, creamy baked mac and cheese, 3-ingredient buttermilk biscuits, Southern cornbread dressing, corn sticks, or Charleston red rice. Then, finish with a buttermilk pound cake for dessert!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Prep Ahead: If you’d like to freeze the marinated chicken before cooking, I recommend soaking in the marinade for at least 30 minutes (or up to 24 hours), then discard the marinade and freeze the marinated chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and pat dry before roasting.
- How to Store: Store leftover roasted chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. The leftover meat is delicious on sandwiches, in soup, in casseroles, and in chicken salad.
- How to Freeze: Store leftover roasted chicken in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Great marinade! I made it with only chicken thighs and followed the recipe as stated. Was delicious. Flavourful, tender and easy off the bone. Next week we’re going to try this with a whole chicken. This one’s going in my go to book!
– Andrea
More Chicken Thigh Recipes to Try
Chicken Thigh Marinade (Grilled or Baked)
3 hours hrs 17 minutes mins
Herb Roasted Chicken Thighs
1 hour hr
Oven BBQ Chicken Thighs
30 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Buttermilk Chicken
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 1 hour
Marinating Time 4 hours
Total: 5 hours 15 minutes
Crisp and juicy roasted buttermilk marinated chicken thighs!
Ingredients
- 4 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or other chicken pieces, such as chicken breasts or drumsticks)
- 2 cups whole buttermilk, well shaken
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus extra for brushing
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary)
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 1 sprig fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or 1 teaspoon dried chives)
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- Optional garnish: additional chopped fresh herbs
Instructions
- In a large bowl or Ziploc bag, combine the buttermilk, olive oil, garlic, herbs, and hot sauce. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the wire rack with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting any excess marinade drain from the chicken. Discard the buttermilk marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place the chicken skin-side up in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each piece of chicken with olive oil; season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides.
- Roast the chicken, uncovered, until it’s golden brown on top and an instant-read thermometer registers 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat (not touching the bone), about 40-45 minutes for chicken thighs and smaller pieces, and about 55-60 minutes for larger chicken breasts. Tent the chicken loosely with foil if the skin starts to get too dark before the meat is cooked through. Let the chicken pieces rest for at least 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs just before serving, if desired.
Notes
- Allow plenty of time to soak the chicken in buttermilk. At least 4-8 hours (or overnight) is ideal; however, in a pinch you can shorten this time to about 30 minutes.
- Allow the chicken to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for about 30-60 minutes before roasting.
- Pat the chicken dry before brushing with oil and seasoning with salt and pepper. Removing the extra moisture will help the skin get nice and crispy in the oven.
- Easy Side Dish: Throw some of your favorite vegetables onto a separate rimmed baking sheet, toss with olive oil, kosher salt, and ground black pepper (or all-purpose seasoning), and roast in the 400°F oven for about 30-35 minutes at the same time that you roast the chicken. Good options for roasting include small gold or red potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of the chickenCalories: 1188kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 78gFat: 93gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 17gMonounsaturated Fat: 42gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 458mgSodium: 561mgPotassium: 1100mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 582IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 177mgIron: 3mg
Buttermilk Marinated Chicken Recipe Variations
- To serve a smaller family, cut the ingredients in half and only bake 2 lbs. of chicken.
- Switch up the herbs and just use your favorites. For instance, add parsley instead of oregano, or only use rosemary and thyme.
- Season the marinade with other spices, such as paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, or onion powder.
- Using boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breast? Baking with the bone and the skin will give you a more juicy, flavorful piece of chicken and a crispy exterior; however, you can use boneless, skinless meat in this marinade if you prefer. Boneless, skinless thighs will only need about 30 minutes in the oven, while boneless breasts will be done within about 40-45 minutes.
- Instead of roasting the chicken parts, grill them or dredge them in seasoned flour and deep fry them.
This recipe was originally published in November, 2022. It was updated in September, 2024.
Hi, Blair. I’ll try this. I’ve been looking for a recipe for plain chicken and vegetables. Sorry you haven’t heard as much from me lately. We had a death in the family BUT I I still have checked your site everyday. If I roast leg quarters, I would check the temperature in the thigh, correct?
Hi, Marion! I’m so sorry to hear about your loss. Thank you for keeping up with the blog, even during a difficult time!
Yes, if you use leg quarters you’ll want to check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh, where the thermometer is not touching a bone. Hope you enjoy!
Hi!!! Can you use boneless skin on chicken thighs for this recipe? I have a bunch in the freezer & can’t always think of recipes for them. It sounds good though!
Hi, Erin! Absolutely! Just keep an eye on the chicken, because the boneless meat will cook faster than the bone-in thighs. Hope you enjoy!
Wow, this sounds so delicious! Unfortunately, the full fat buttermilk isn’t available in our stores.
And what else is nice is that there are so many good side dishes to pair up with this chicken.
By the way, are you a Scorpio? I don’t remember just where Octobers “sign” ends, and November’s starts.
I’m also a Scorpio–my birthday is this coming Friday,the 12th. Looked up the weather forecast for this week, and there’s the possibility of snow on the 12th. Wouldn’t be the first time that it snowed on my birthday, either.
So,Happy Birthday to you too!!
The flu is in the schools around here too. Glad I took the flu shot on my last visit at the clinic.
As usual, your pictures are great. I also read Joanne Flukes books as well.
Take care, & have a great week!
Thanks, Sandra! Yes, we got flu shots, but they seemed to have helped some of us more than others. 🙁
I am a Scorpio! Happy almost birthday to you. I can’t believe there’s snow in your forecast! It’s supposed to be 80 degrees here in VA tomorrow — crazy.
The low-fat buttermilk will do in a pinch if you still want to make the recipe!
Take care!
I’m anxious to make this. However I’m confused. The recipe calls for 4 lbs of chicken pieces for 4 servings. This 1 lbs of chicken per serving. And than states a serving is 1/6 of the meat. Is this correct?
Hi, Scott! I’m so glad that you’ll give it a try. The recipe should say “4-6 servings,” but the end part was cut off by the recipe card. So frustrating. It really depends on your appetite and how much meat each person likes to eat. I use about 4 lbs. of chicken, which obviously weighs more than boneless, skinless breasts or thighs because of the bones.
The nutrition facts (which are automatically calculated by the recipe software, and are therefore just an estimate), used the 6 servings, which is why it says 1/6 of the chicken. If you have 4 people that eat all of the chicken, then those stats would change. Again, it’s all just a rough estimate, but I think it’s safe to say that 4-lbs. of bone-in chicken typically serves about 4-6 people. Hope that helps clarify!
I had boneless and skinless chicken breasts so after the marinating, I did a flour marinade coating ( from marinade to flour, back to marinade and flour again). I also dripped oil on the breasts and baked. The flavor was wonderful and the breading substituted for the skin.
That’s such a great idea, Gregory! We’re happy it turned out well for you.
Hi Blair,
I was hooked by your photo of this recipe and want to make it. However, I don’t see the instructions for the carrots, potatoes, and herb sprigs that show in the photo. Will they roast and be done at the same time as the chicken? Are the herb sprigs added just before serving? I’d like my chicken to look like your wonderful combination in the photo.
Thanks, and your Patti Pan Squash recipe was fantastic. I’m looking for more of your recipes now,
Barb
Hi, Barb! Thanks so much for your kind note.
I included directions for roasting the veggies in the section on What to Serve with the Buttermilk Chicken (first paragraph). Hope that helps! I added the herbs at the end for a colorful garnish, but I also like to add them to the pan when roasting the vegetables so that they can infuse the veggies and oil with a subtle flavor. Just discard any roasted herb stems before serving. Enjoy the meal!
Great marinade! I made it with only chicken thighs and followed the recipe as stated. Was delicious. Flavourful, tender and easy off the bone. Next week we’re going to try this with a whole chicken. This one’s going in my go to book!
Thanks so much, Andrea!
This is the 2nd time I’ll be making this roasted buttermilk marinated chicken dish. Obviously it was so good that I’m makng it again! This is being added to my regular favorites!
Thank you, Liz! We’re so happy to hear this.
This is a great way to roast chicken pieces. With no effort, and using simple pantry ingredients, you end up with chicken that’s unbelievably moist and almost falls off the bones. The skin, although nicely caramelized, isn’t crisp, but it’s delicious. I substituted evaporated milk and vinegar for the buttermilk which worked well. Because of the acid in the marinade, I only marinated the chicken for about 6 hours. I added a bit of Dijon mustard and honey to the marinade, but made no other changes to the recipe. This is definitely a keeper!
Thank you for such a kind review, Sadie! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and were able to make it work for you.