Buttermilk Brined Roasted Chicken

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

• Kosher salt
  10 garlic cloves, smashed
  2 tablespoons sugar
  2 tablespoons chopped rosemary 
  1 bay leaf
  1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
  1 quart buttermilk
  One 3 1/2-pound whole chicken
  1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
  2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• In a medium saucepan, combine 1/4 cup of salt with the smashed garlic, the sugar, rosemary, bay leaf and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Transfer the mixture to a very large bowl and stir in 2 cups of cold water.

• In a spice grinder, grind the mushrooms to a powder. (You should have about 3 tablespoons.) Whisk the porcini powder and buttermilk into the salt mixture. Place the chicken in the buttermilk brine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to 12 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 425°. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry; discard the brine. Tuck the wing tips behind the breasts, tie the legs with kitchen twine and set the chicken, breast side up, in a rack over a roasting pan. Season all over with salt.

• Roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Brush the butter all over the chicken, then return it to the oven and roast for about 45 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.