Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

By Melissa Clark

Updated November 24, 2024

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
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Total Time
1¼ hours plus at least 6 hours marinating
Rating
5(4,831)
Comments
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Green Goddess dressing — a creamy, piquant blend of herbs, garlic and anchovies — is good to eat on salad. And it’s wonderful as a dipping sauce for vegetables. But its best use may be as a marinade for roast chicken. The mild chicken absorbs all the zippy flavors of the dressing, to emerge from the oven fragrant and golden, flecked with green. To intensify the herbal flavor, some of the green goddess mixture is set aside to use as a sauce. You could even pour a little on a salad or some vegetables on the side, and enjoy the best of all the Green Goddess variations in one savory bite.

Featured in: Chicken Offered to the Green Goddess

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk or plain yogurt

  • 1 cup packed basil leaves

  • ¼ cup packed chives

  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled

  • 2 anchovy fillets (optional)

  • 1 scallion, white and green parts

  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime

  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken, halved through the breast and back bones, patted dry with paper towels

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

8 grams carbs; 396 milligrams cholesterol; 1215 calories; 36 grams monosaturated fat; 17 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams saturated fat; 85 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 1416 milligrams sodium; 99 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a blender, purée buttermilk, basil, chives, garlic, anchovies (if using), scallion, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper until smooth.

  2. Step 2

    Put chicken halves in a bowl or large heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and cover with three-quarters of the Green Goddess marinade. (Save the rest to serve as a sauce.) Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oven to 500 degrees. Remove chicken from the marinade, shaking off as much liquid as possible, and lay the halves on a rimmed baking sheet. (Discard the used marinade.) Pat chicken tops dry with paper towels and drizzle with oil. Roast until cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving, with some of the reserved sauce if you like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,831 user ratings
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Comments

Karen

I make this with thighs and roast them for about 25 mins at 500. It makes the house smell so good. The longer I marinate the chicken, the more succulent it is. I try to buy the best buttermilk I can; it seems to make a difference. This has been a winner in my house and for guests. The hardest thing to remember when I want to make it is that needs time to marinate.

David Morton

500ºF? That was way too hot for my oven. The chicken was pretty well cooked at 20 minutes ... 148ºF internal temperature at the breast. I finished it at 350º for seven minutes and the chicken was perfectly cooked. The Green Goddess dressing was superb! A definite keeper ... but keep an eye on the temperature!

Betsy R

What makes this recipe great is not the chicken right out of the oven. That is very good, but the next day, use the out-of-this-world Green Goddess dressing instead of mayo for a great chicken sandwich! Squishy white bread sops up the dressing best. Layer the dressing on both sides of the bread with sliced white meat in between. Super!

Chrissie

Absolutely delicious! I made this for a dinner party and everyone raved about the chicken! After reading the comments, I did roast the chicken at 450 instead of 500, and it took about 45 minutes. I tented with foil at the 30 minute mark because the skin was already very crispy. I served with roasted potatoes, an arugula salad, and plenty of the green goddess sauce on the side. A keeper!

Robert

This is so good, zesty. I followed the recipe mostly. I used cream cheese, since I didn't have either buttermilk or yogurt on hand. added some Italian parsley, a little olive oil and a dash of cayenne. having it with pita chips as an appetizer. anxious to try it with chicken, will use yogurt when I do, as that will keep the chicken moist. Anything Melissa C. makes is great!

matt

Perfect grilling: spatchcock the chicken. Pour enough of the sauce over it to coat. Let stand at room temp for an hour (in the fridge if much longer). I used a little Weber smoky Joe. Made sure the grill top was hot then oiled it. Set the chicken skin side down (with the sauce still on) and covered the grill. Let it go for about 10 minutes. Turned the chicken and it let cook covered til 165. Skin was lovely, sauce was delish!

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