- Chicken (1.8-2 kg or about 4-4.5 lbs)
- 1 large lemon
- 8 slices of prosciutto (or Parma ham)
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 100 g (about 7 tablespoons) of softened butter
- 0.5-1 tablespoon of thyme
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Wash and dry the chicken inside and out, then rub it with salt and pepper.
Gently lift the skin on the chicken breast with your fingers to create a pocket.
Remove the zest from the lemon using a vegetable peeler.
Finely chop the lemon zest and the prosciutto.
Mix the lemon zest, prosciutto, minced garlic, thyme, and softened butter in a bowl.
Take about two-thirds of this mixture, form it into a ball, and slide it into the pocket under the chicken skin.
Massage the area so the butter spreads evenly across the meat beneath the skin.
Make small incisions in the chicken thighs and tuck the remaining butter mixture into those cuts.
Cut the peeled lemon in half and place it inside the chicken cavity.
Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the body.
Roast the chicken in a preheated oven at 200°C (about 400°F) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
