Buttermilk Marinated Roast Chicken with Fennel and Potatoes
A moist, tender and deeply seasoned roast chicken served with roasted fennel and potatoes. All cooked in the oven at the same time.
Yield: 4
Materials
- 3.5-4 pound chicken
- salt, kosher diamond crystal brand preferred
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 3 sprigs thyme fresh
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns lightly crushed
- 1 pound fennel reserve fronds for garnish
- 1 pound potatoes very small
- 1 lemon sliced into rounds
Instructions
- One or two days before serving the chicken, spatchcock the chicken by removing the backbone and wingtips with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Save these to make chicken stock.
- Lay the bird flat and push down on the breastbone to further flatten it out. Salt generously on both sides and leave to sit, in room temperature, for 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons kosher salt with the buttermilk until dissolved. Pour into a large, resealable bag and add the thyme, black peppercorns and chicken. Close and squeeze the bag to thoroughly coat the chicken. Place the bag on a rimmed sheet pan and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.
- Remove chicken from refrigerator one hour before cooking. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Cut each fennel bulb into six or eight pieces. Toss chopped fennel, potatoes and lemon slices on a rimmed baking sheet or tray with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Remove chicken from marinade and wipe off any excess buttermilk and herbs with paper towels. Arrange the chicken in a cast iron skillet or large baking pan. Season the bird lightly with pepper and some additional salt, if desired. Place vegetables and chicken in the oven.
- Roast for 20 minutes. Lower heat to 400 degrees, rotate the pans and roast for another 25 minutes or so, until the juices run clear when a knife is inserted between the leg and thigh.
- Rest chicken for 10 minutes on cutting board. Cut into pieces at the joints and split the 2 breasts into 4 pieces. Serve immediately with the roasted vegetables, garnishing with fennel fronds.
Notes
The chicken may be roasted whole, instead of spatchcocked. Just tie the legs together and roast for about 1 hour or until the juices run clear when a knife is inserted between the leg and thigh.
Adapted from Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: the four elements of good cooking by Samin Nosrat.
Published 2017 by Simon & Schuster.
You can purchase the book here.