Apr 5, 2019

Buttermilk-Brined Curry Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

Prep Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Recipe for tender Buttermilk-Brined Curry-Spiced Chicken with seasonal spring vegetables like carrots, radish and snap peas.
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In this recipe I used a curry powder with the brine, which adds a subtle flavor to the roasted chicken. Buttermilk isn’t just for fried chicken as it works just as well for roasted chicken. The fat from the chicken adds flavor to the spring vegetables.

love walking to the Farmer’s market on Wednesday mornings and wandering around the different stands to see what vegetables are in season. Carrots, radishes and snap peas have all been hitting the stands in the recent weeks and once spring rolls around I love getting to focus on cooking with seasonal vegetables.

Buttermilk-Brined Curry Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

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Key Ingredients in This Recipe

Buttermilk

Buttermilk brine does wonders for a roast chicken. While salt helps to keep the chicken moist as well as seasoned, the acid from the buttermilk works to tenderize it.

Curry Powder

This versatile earthy spice blend is made from coriander, cumin, fenugreek, cassia, peppercorns, curry leaves and turmeric. Not all curry powder is created the same since they often have regional variations. For example Madras curry powder is known to be a bit spicier.

Whole Chicken

I love cooking a chicken whole because it’s significantly less expensive than buying multiple of one cut. There are so many opportunities to use the leftover meat from the chicken and it makes for an impressive entrée when hosting. Cooking a whole chicken allows guests to choose what type of meat they want – light meat or dark meat; thighs or legs.

How to Make Buttermilk-Brined Curry Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

  1. Make the brine. In a small bowl stir together the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, 2 teaspoons of salt, and pepper. Add the chicken to a large bowl and season all over with the seasoning mixture.
  2. Brine the chicken. Pour the buttermilk over the top and cover and refrigerate the chicken in the brine for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
  3. Prep the chicken. Heat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse then pat completely dry. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then add chicken to a roasting pan.
  4. Add butter to the chicken and roast. Use fingers to slide the butter under the skin. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes then remove from the oven.
  5. Add vegetables. Lower the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and arrange on pan around the chicken.
  6. Continue to cook. Season both the vegetables and chicken with salt and continue to roast until the skin is crispy and the chicken is completely cooked through and tender, about an additional 30 to 40 minutes (the internal temperature should read 165ºF/ 74ºC).
Buttermilk-Brined Curry Chicken with Spring Vegetables recipe from cooking with cocktail rings

Tips for Roasting Chicken

  • Bring your chicken to room temperature prior to roasting it so it cooks evenly.
  • Let the chicken rest before slicing and serving it. This keeps the juices inside.
  • It’s easiest to cook a chicken in a roasting pan with handles.
  • Trim any excess fat using kitchen shears.
  • Using an instant read thermometer helps to keep from overcooking the chicken. It is hard to give an exact cooking time for whole chicken because there can be many factors at play. A major factor is weight.
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Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this curry roast chicken recipe, I recommend checking out some of these:

Buttermilk-Brined Curry Roast Chicken with Spring Vegetables

roasted chicken in a red baking dish overhead shot with peas and carrots
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Prep Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 (4-pound) whole chicken
  • 1 tablespoons curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 quart low-fat buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 bunch small carrots
  • 1 bunch small breakfast radishes
  • 4 ounces sugar snap peas

Instructions:

  • In a small bowl stir together the curry powder, cumin, turmeric, 2 teaspoons of salt, and pepper. Add the chicken to a large bowl and season all over with the seasoning mixture.
  • Pour the buttermilk over the top and cover and refrigerate the chicken in the brine for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
  • Heat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Remove the chicken from the brine and rinse then pat completely dry. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes then add chicken to a roasting pan.
  • Use fingers to slide the butter under the skin. Roast the chicken for 20 minutes then remove from the oven.
  • Lower the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Toss the vegetables in the olive oil and arrange on pan around the chicken.
  • Season both the vegetables and chicken with salt and continue to roast until the skin is crispy and the chicken is completely cooked through and tender, about an additional 30 to 40 minutes (the internal temperature should read 165ºF).

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  1. 5 stars
    I made this for our Easter dinner and it was delicious and easy! I made the entire thing in my braising pan and served with mashed potatoes. It was the perfect spring meal that felt special without requiring too much effort. The chicken was tender and flavorful (and helped me use up the buttermilk sitting in my fridge!).

    • Thank you so much for sharing Cortney! Happy to hear it was a hit! Glad it could help you use up extra buttermilk (pancakes are another go to of mine to use up buttermilk!!)