Ingredients:
1.5 kg roasting chicken
salt and ground black pepper
6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
4 tablespoons of olive oil
40 large whole cloves garlic
Thick slices of bread
Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 190C (gas mark 5)
2. Place 3 sprigs of thyme, 1 sprig of rosemary and 1 bay leaf inside the chicken.
3. Heat oil in a large heavy frying pan, and add the chicken to seal all over.
4. Remove chicken to plate and insert 3 cloves of garlic.
5. Put the chicken in a casserole dish, with the rest of the garlic cloves around it. Pour over the oil from the frying pan.
6. Place the remaining herbs on top of the chicken and cover.
7. Seal the casserole dish with foil. This seal must be tight, so scrunch the foil around the seal of the dish.
8. Cook in the pre-heated oven for approx one and a half hours.
9. Do not break the seal of the foil in this time!
10. Remove the chicken from the oven and stand for approx 10 minutes (still covered).
11. Toast the bread and put in a serving basket.
12. Serve the chicken cut into pieces, or carved as desired and serve garlic cloves with the toast.
13. To serve the garlic, squeeze out of the husk.
