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Our tender and juicy Buttermilk Chicken recipe is an easy but delicious dinner idea. It’s perfect for a weekday family meal or Sunday supper. Ready with 5 minutes of prep and just 35 minutes in the oven, using simple ingredients!
Buttermilk Chicken Recipe
Quick and easy chicken recipes for dinner like this one are my favorite! You can find the time to make them even if you’re in a rush. Whether it’s a weeknight or Sunday night before a workweek, this buttermilk-baked chicken has your back.
At the same time, chicken is a classic comfort food that is perfect for family dinner ideas. I make this buttermilk roast chicken for Sunday supper and my whole family loves it. Yours will, too!
Buttermilk Chicken Ingredients
Butter Milk Chicken Marinade
- Buttermilk
- olive oil
- garlic
- black pepper
- sea salt or fine sea salt
- ground cumin
- maple syrup
Buttermilk Chicken Breast Ingredients
- chicken breasts, approximately 3 lbs.
- olive oil
- pepper, cayenne pepper, and black pepper
- kosher salt
- onion powder
- garlic powder
How to Make Buttermilk
- Combine milk or cream with lemon juice or vinegar.
- Stir the milk and lemon juice together in a measuring cup.
- Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. When it is ready, the milk will be a bit thickened and you will see small curdled bits. These are fine to use. This substitute will not become as thick as regular buttermilk, but it works perfectly for making buttermilk roast chicken.
Buttermilk Marinade
- In a Ziploc bag large enough to hold the chicken breasts, add peeled garlic, maple syrup, salt, cumin, black pepper, and olive oil.
- Close the bag and use the heel of your hand to crush the garlic cloves, being careful not to pierce the bag. Add in the buttermilk and then the chicken.
- Seal the bag and mash everything around to make sure all parts of the chicken are covered with seasoned liquid.
- Leave the chicken marinating in the refrigerator overnight for best results.
How to Cook Chicken Soaked in Buttermilk
- In a Ziploc bag large enough to hold all your chicken breasts, add the peeled garlic, maple syrup, salt, cumin, black pepper, and olive oil. Close the bag and use the heel of your hand to crush the garlic cloves, being careful not to pierce the bag.
- Add in the buttermilk and then the chicken. Seal the bag and mash everything around to make sure that all parts of the chicken are covered with seasoned liquid. Leave the chicken marinating in the refrigerator overnight in the bag in a deep plate, or at the very least out of the fridge for 30 minutes.
- When you are ready to roast, preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Cover with foil and coat with olive oil a baking pan that’s large enough for the chicken breasts to sit apart in a single layer. Take the chicken out of the bag and drain it well in a colander.Arrange the breasts in your prepared baking pan, skin side DOWN to coat with olive oil. Now turn the breasts over, sprinkle with a little more black pepper and some cayenne, along with onion powder and garlic powder.
- Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle a little more olive oil on the breasts and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Remove the chicken to a serving plate, but serve the pan juice alongside your chicken. It is fabulous on mashed potatoes or rice!
Baked Buttermilk Chicken Tips
- Marinate our buttermilk chicken recipe the night before so all you have to do the day of is bake it in the oven. So easy!
- If you have kids, you can use less cayenne pepper.
- Put the marinating chicken in a deep plate, just in case the bag leaks. You do not want to be cleaning chicken juice and marinade out of your refrigerator.
Buttermilk Chicken FAQs
Because buttermilk is slightly acidic, it helps in tenderizing chicken. Trust us, once you try these buttermilk-baked chicken breasts and you see how tender and juicy they are, you will never go back to traditional roasted chicken.
In order to make this buttermilk baked chicken breast recipe keto-friendly, just eliminate the maple syrup. You will give up a bit of the sweet and salty flavor, but trust me – it will be just as delicious.
Absolutely! This recipe for baked buttermilk chicken works perfectly with chicken thighs or even a whole chicken. You will just have to make sure to adjust roasting times accordingly.
We recommend soaking chicken in buttermilk overnight, but the buttermilk marinade for the chicken is good for up to two days of marinating in the refrigerator.
You can mix milk or cream with one teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to make your own homemade buttermilk for your buttermilk-marinated chicken.
Best Chicken Recipes
- How to Grill Chicken Breast
- Chicken and Mushroom Pie
- Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
- Chicken Mushroom Recipe
Side Dishes for Chicken
- Instant Pot Risotto
- Gluten Free Rice-a-roni
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Smashed Sweet Potatoes
- Perfect Rice Recipe
Chicken Breast Temperature and Cook Times
Chicken should always read between 165°F and 175°F on a meat thermometer. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is done cooking in the oven.
| Boneless Chicken Breasts (Large) | 375°F | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Bone-in Chicken Breasts (Large) | 375°F | 35 to 40 minutes |
For more chicken recipes and inspiration on how to cook chicken perfectly, follow my Chicken Temperature Chart!
Buttermilk Chicken
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
- Baking sheet
- Large zip-loc bag
- Deep dish for marinating chicken
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 cups Buttermilk
- ¼ cup olive oil plus more for roasting
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ tablespoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1 tablespoon sea salt or 1½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
For roasting
- 6 chicken breasts with skin or chicken pieces of your choice, approximately 3 lbs.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pinch Cayenne pepper sprinkle cayenne pepper and extra black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- In a Ziploc bag large enough to hold all your chicken breasts, add the peeled garlic, maple syrup, salt, cumin, black pepper and olive oil. Close the bag and use the heel of your hand to crush the garlic cloves, being careful not to pierce the bag.¼ cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tablespoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 6 chicken breasts, 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- Add in the buttermilk and then the chicken. Seal the bag and mash everything around to make sure that all parts of the chicken are covered with seasoned liquid.2 cups Buttermilk
- Leave the chicken marinating in the refrigerator overnight in the bag in a deep plate, or at the very least out of the fridge for 30 minutes.
- When ready to roast, preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Cover with foil and coat with olive oil a baking pan that's large enough for the chicken breasts to sit apart in a single layer. Take the chicken out of the bag and drain it well in a colander.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Arrange the breasts in your prepared baking pan, skin side DOWN to coat with olive oil. Now turn the breasts over, sprinkle with a little more black pepper and some cayenne, along with onion powder and garlic powder.½ tablespoon black pepper, 1 pinch Cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle a little more olive oil on the breasts and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken to a serving plate, but serve the pan juice alongside your chicken. It is fabulous on mashed potatoes or rice!
Linda says
You say to use chicken skin on. But all pictures show skinless chicken breasts. I love crunchy crust. So please explain?
Em Beitel says
Hi Linda! We did photograph ours with skinless chicken breasts at the time, but you can make them with the skin if you’d like. It’s entirely up to what you prefer.
Andre’a says
When do you add the syrup? It’s not listed.
Em Beitel says
Hi Andre’a! Sorry for the confusion. You would add it with the marinade in the bag. Enjoy!