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Buttermilk roast chicken served with nutritious farro salad on a plate.

Buttermilk Roast Chicken with Farro Salad

A tender and flavorful roast chicken marinated in buttermilk, served with a crunchy farro salad featuring lemon, garlic, and pistachios.
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Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 13 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 700
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Marinade and Chicken
  • 1.2 L buttermilk Use full-fat for best tenderness; low-fat works but yields slightly drier texture.
  • 2 whole chickens (1.8 kg each) whole chickens Choose similar-weight birds for even cooking.
  • 8 cloves unpeeled garlic cloves Add flavor during roasting.
  • 12 leaves bay leaves
  • 3 pieces lemons Halve two for stuffing the chickens.
  • 1 bunch lemon thyme Adds fragrance to the roast.
  • 1/3 cup olive oil For drizzling over the chickens.
  • 1/2 bunch spring onions To be grilled for the salad.
  • 2 pieces long green chillies Thinly sliced for the salad.
  • 1/2 cup pistachios Roughly chopped; can substitute with toasted almonds.
  • 4 quarters preserved lemon Rinse if too salty and chop finely.
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil For the salad dressing.
  • 2 cups farro Cook according to packet instructions.

Method
 

Marinating the Chicken
  1. Place one chicken each, breast-side down, in two non-reactive bowls. Pour half the buttermilk over each chicken. Cover and chill overnight.
  2. Drain chicken from buttermilk and pat dry with paper towels. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before roasting.
Roasting the Chicken
  1. Preheat oven to 180°C (356°F).
  2. Place both chickens in a large roasting pan and scatter garlic cloves and bay leaves around them. Halve two of the lemons and stuff into each cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.
  3. Slide half of the lemon thyme into the kitchen string and drizzle the chickens with olive oil. Season with salt.
  4. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes or until juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a skewer.
  5. Rest the chickens, breast-side down, for 10 minutes before carving.
Preparing the Farro Salad
  1. Preheat a chargrill pan over high heat. Add spring onions and cook, turning, for 3 minutes or until charred.
  2. Roughly chop onions, then place in a bowl with the green chilli, pistachio, preserved lemon, extra virgin olive oil, farro, and juice of remaining lemon. Toss well.
Serving
  1. Serve the carved chickens with farro salad. Scatter extra pistachios and thyme leaves on top.

Notes

Allowing the roast to rest breast-side down lets the juices redistribute into the meat.