We Tried Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Brined Chicken

If you’ve made the buttermilk brined chicken from Salt Fat Acid Heat by Samin Nosrat, you know how juicy and tender it can be. Add in a gorgeously browned skin and you’ve got a near perfect roasted chicken. My question was, can Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Brined Chicken deliver a similar result?

It’s only a half chicken, which could be stretched to feed two with sides. But really, I could have eaten the whole thing myself. As it was, I ate the thigh and leg as a snack. I roasted the chicken in a cast iron pan with a thin coating of oil, at 375F. Grilling is also an option. But it hasn’t been sunny enough around here to take the cover the off the grill.

As you do with the Samin Nosrat version, i positioned the pan in the back corner of the oven and turned it into the other corner about half way through. It didn’t brown as evenly as the Samin Nosrat version, but I used a thermometer to make sure it hit 165F. If I made it again, I’d turn that heat up, and in my oven, maybe even put the rack a little closer to the element.

The chicken itself was tender and juicy, and not particularly salty. Not even as salty as a Costco rotisserie chicken. It’s good. But it’s also simple enough to buttermilk brine a chicken on your own. You just have to remember to marinate it the night before. With a whole chicken, you’d have enough to feed a family. Or have leftovers for enchiladas or chicken tetrazzini or whatever.

Would I buy Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Brined Chicken again? Probably not. For the price and the size, it’s not really a fit for us.

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