Buttermilk-Marinated Roast Chicken

Sometimes the single picture is worth the thousand words. Just look at this reddish bronzed skin! The BF often tells me that he loves the simplest roasted chicken dishes, and this one couldn't be easier. Adapted from Samin Nosrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat, this recipe encompasses two whole ingredients. Three, if you count salt. Genius.

The buttermilk and salt work like a brine, tenderizing the meat to yield an unbelievably juicy chicken with crispy, gorgeously intense-colored skin. Be sure to leave 24 hours for marinating. I streamlined the recipe a bit, as well as decreased the amount of salt in the marinade.

One of the best things about roast chicken is that you can serve it with anything. Try it with these side dishes:

• www.moveablefeast.me/blog/roasted-tri-color-fingerlings-chimichurri-sauce
  
• www.moveablefeast.me/blog/spiced-roasted-carrots-with-avocado-yogurt
  
• www.moveablefeast.me/blog/asian-style-kale-salad
  

Adapted from Samin Nosrat's Salt Fat Acid Heat blog and Netflix special of same name.
Number of servings: 4

Ingredients

• 3 ½ to 4-pound whole chicken
  
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• About 2 cups buttermilk (full fat was used here)
  

Directions

1. The day prior to cooking, sprinkle the chicken inside and out with 1 tablespoon of salt. 
   
2. Stir 1 tablespoon of kosher salt into the buttermilk to dissolve. Place the chicken in a gallon-size resealable plastic bag and pour in buttermilk. 
   
3. Seal it, squish the buttermilk all around the chicken, place on a rimmed plate, and refrigerate for 24 hours. If so inclined, rotate the bag over the next 24 hours so every part of the chicken gets marinated.
   
4. Let chicken come to room temperature [Ed. note: ROOM TEMPERATURE should take about an hour, ackshually] before roasting. 
   
5. Preheat the oven to 425 °F, with a rack set one rung below center.
   
6. Remove chicken from the plastic bag and scrape off as much buttermilk as you can. Tightly tie together the legs of the chicken with a piece of butcher’s twine and tuck the wings under the bird. Place the chicken breast side UP in a 10-inch cast iron skillet or on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
   
7. Slide chicken into the oven, legs toward the back. Roast for 50-60 minutes until brown all over and the legs don't resist when you jiggle them. Also, you can cut into the thigh, and if juices run clear, it's done.
   
8. If chicken gets too brown before it's done, tent a piece of foil over the top. 
   
9. When chicken is done, remove it to a platter and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.