Smitten Kitchen Buttermilk Chicken

Some recipes on the Smitten Kitchen site I can immediately determine will never be acceptable in this household. Those I read, admire and then promptly put aside, always hoping for the next submission that just might get the Martin seal of approval.

Deb recently posted this recipe for Buttermilk chicken. There were probably two entirely idiosyncratic reasons I knew I was going to try this one - first, she talks about eating green beans as a side dish and that happens to be on the VERY short list of veggies Martin will actually eat. Secondly Deb put her buttermilk brine on all chicken legs! Hey, that's exactly how we do chicken here - why bother cooking up all those extra pieces when Martin will only eat the chicken legs???

Oh yea, I forgot the third thing that influenced me making this dish: buttermilk isn't something I usually keep on hand but, because I'd made a funeral cake this weekend, I had some leftover buttermilk begging to be poured over a bunch of naked chicken legs.

Really, this recipe couldn't get any simpler. I put my brine together and started marinading the chicken yesterday morning. This evening all I had to do was put the sauced up legs in a pan, drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle on some hungarian paprika and sea salt, and bake up an easy dinner.

The chicken turned out very, very flavorful. I loved it and Martin ate what was put on his plate with no complaints. And no positive endorsements either. I doubt I'd make this again for just the two of us but I might cook it up again with a different eating audience.

(One last note: that thing Deb writes about lining your pan with the foil for easy clean-up? It worked.)


Buttermilk Roast Chicken

This recipe was inspired by Nigella Lawson’s version. I fiddled a lot, changing the spices and sweetener, though my biggest changes were to increase the salt, garlic and marinating time. If you wish to use Kosher salt instead of table salt use 2 tablespoons if using Diamond kosher salt and 1 1/4 tablespoons if using Morton kosher. (Here’s why). I imagine that going forward I’ll be using this technque as a springboard for a lot of different recipes and spice combinations. However, even when using the simplest recipe below, the chicken was unbelievably tender and flavorful.

2 cups buttermilk
5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, plus extra for sprinkling (I used Hungarian, a smoked one would also be delicious)
Lots of freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken parts (we used all legs)
Drizzle of olive oil
Flaked or coarse sea salt, to finish

Whisk buttermilk with garlic, table salt, sugar, paprika and lots of freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Place chicken parts in a gallon-sized freezer bag (or lidded container) and pour buttermilk brine over them, then swish it around so that all parts are covered. Refrigerate for at least 2 but preferably 24 and up to 48 hours.

When ready to roast, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking dish with foil (not absolutely necessary, but Nigella suggested it and I never minded having dish that cleaned up easily). Remove chicken from buttermilk brine and arrange in dish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle with additional paprika and sea salt to taste. Roast for 30 minutes (for legs; approximately 35 to 40 for breasts), until brown and a bit scorched in spots. Serve immediately.