Buttermilk Sage Brined Roasted Chicken Thighs are tender , juicy, and packed full of flavor. Buttermilk not only flavors but tenderizes, also. The amount of seasoning in the brine is sufficient. No need for more salt and pepper before cooking.
Buttermilk is well known as an excellent marinade for chicken. A lot of good cooks routinely marinade in buttermilk before frying chicken. Take a buttermilk marinade a step further and add salt to make it a brine. Throw in sage, honey, garlic, and black pepper for flavor and you’ve won the lottery.
The work-horse brine not only flavors and tenderizes the meat, it helps pull all through the other flavors throughout.
Buttermilk Sage Brine makes roasted chicken so good you’ll want to slap your mama.
Once you get the brining part done, roasting the chicken is the next easiest step; it’s a lazy way to cook it. Lazy is the best I can muster sometimes.
Use this brine preparation for fried chicken, too. I don’t fry chicken on my stovetop. It’s too much work and makes too big of a mess. I do, however, love my Oven Fried Chicken Buttermilk Chicken. Use the cooking method in that recipe after you’ve removed from this brine.
Be advised, if you use fresh sage for this recipe, and I hope you do, you must squoosh the fresh sage and sniff it. It’s like having a blast of Thanksgiving hit you in the face minus all the dirty dishes and gravy stains.
Buttermilk Sage Brined Roasted Chicken Thighs
Nothing flavors chicken better than a buttermilk sage brine. Buttermilk not only flavors but tenderizes, also. The amount of seasoning in the brine is sufficient. No need for more salt and pepper before cooking.
preheat oven to 350 degrees
yield: 4 servings
4 cups buttermilk (full fat, please)
2 tablespoons kosher salt (Morton’s)
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh sage
8 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
cooking oil for brushing tops of chicken
In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, honey, and black pepper until the salt dissolves.
Pour mixture into a gallon freezer or storage bag. Add remaining ingredients, including chicken.
Close bag securely and shake a few times to be sure the chicken is well coated. Place disposable bag into a mixing bowl or on a rimmed cooking sheet for security in case of a leak. Store in refrigerator or at least 8 hours and up to 24.
Remove chicken thighs from brine and let drain on a rack for about 10 minutes.
Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Place chicken thighs on baking sheet skin side up. Brush tops with cooking oil.
Roast in a 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Buttermilk Sage Brined Roasted Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- Nothing flavors chicken better than a buttermilk sage brine. Buttermilk not only flavors but tenderizes also. The amount of seasoning in the brine is sufficient. No need for more salt and pepper before cooking.
- preheat oven to 350 degrees
- yield: 4 servings
- 4 cups buttermilk full fat, please
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt Morton's
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh sage
- 8 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
- cooking oil for brushing tops of chicken
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, salt, honey, and black pepper until the salt dissolves.
- Pour mixture into a gallon freezer or storage bag. Add remaining ingredients, including chicken.
- Close bag securely and shake a few times to be sure the chicken is well coated. Place disposable bag into a mixing bowl or on a rimmed cooking sheet for security in case of a leak. Store in refrigerator or at least 8 hours and up to 24.
- Remove chicken thighs from brine and let drain on a rack for about 10 minutes.
- Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken thighs on baking sheet skin side up. Brush tops with cooking oil.
- Roast in a 350 degree preheated oven for 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
Albert Trotter says
will kosher salt be available on stores easily??? if it has any replacement ???
Jackie Garvin says
Albert,
Kosher salt is readily available in the grocery stores in the same area as table salt. I use Morton’s brand. If you want to use table salt instead,reduce the amount by 1/2.
Deb says
This chicken sounds fabulous, Jackie! Buttermilk sure does magic when it comes to tenderizng chicken and with all the additions you’ve added to the brine I know I’m going to love it! Yum! I appreciate you sharing the recipe, Jackie! 🙂
Jackie Garvin says
Deb,
I love using buttermilk as much as possible. It’s like a magic ingredient. The chicken is so flavorful and tender. I hope you give it a try. Thanks for stopping by.
Dave says
Hi Jackie-
I made the brine but cut it down for a test run of 4 thighs. It’s in the refrigerator right now and I will cook it tomorrow evening (letting it soak first for 24 hours). If all goes well, I will want to cook 24 thighs using your awesome recipe for an upcoming dinner party, but I think each of our pans will only hold about 8 thighs. My question is: how do I cook 24 thighs in the oven at same time? My instinct is to use three pans and place two on main rack and one below and then rotate the pans every 20 minutes? Any guidance will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Dave the Inexperienced Cook
Jackie Garvin says
Dave,
Your plan for multiple pans and rotation is exactly what I would do. Be sure to not crowd the chicken on each pan. They might need to cook a little longer with that many cooking at once. So, make time allowances for that. Also, if they don’t brown up as well as you’d like, place the pans under the broiler, one at a time, for a few minutes. Watch them carefully because they’ll go from brown to burned quickly. Best of luck with your dinner party!
Elise says
Making this tonight! I can’t decide if I should serve with mashed potatoes or roasted?
Jackie Garvin says
Either would be a great side.