Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Recipe

Ingredients

2 (3 lb.) whole chickens
8 fresh thyme sprigs
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 lemon, halved
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
40 garlic cloves, unpeeled (about 3 bulbs)
1-2 Tb. olive oil
Garnish: fresh thyme

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse chickens, and pat dry with paper towels. Place 4 thyme sprigs in cavity of each bird. Rub each chicken with 2 Tb. softened butter. Squeeze a lemn half over each chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Tie ends of legs together with string, tuck wing tips under. Place chickens, breast side up, in a well-greased shallow roasting pan. Toss garlic with olive oil in a bowl. Scatter garlic cloves around chickens, snuggling them close to chickens.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thigh registers 180 degrees. Remove chickens and garlic to a serving platter. Garnish, if desired.