Ingredients

• 5 heads of garlic
• 2 dime-sized drizzles of olive oil
• 1 3.5-pound chicken, cleaned and patted dry (preferably free-range and organic)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, plus one bunch
• 3 stems fresh rosemary
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Cut the top quarter of two heads of garlic off horizontally. Drizzle each head of garlic with a dime-sized amount of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Wrap tightly in foil. Roast for 1.5 hours. Allow to cool. Then squeeze the soft garlic flesh out of the head.
3. Raise the oven heat to 425°F.
4. Use your fingers to separate the skin of the chicken from the flesh, careful not to tear the skin. Peel the cloves of 1 head of garlic, and scatter them all over the chicken under the skin.
5. Use a fork to mash the butter, two heads of roasted garlic cloves, and 1 tablespoon of thyme together. Salt and pepper the inside and outside of the dry chicken, and rub all over with the garlic butter.
6. Cut the fourth head of garlic in half horizontally. Stuff the garlic head, rosemary, and remaining thyme into the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan.
7. Separate, but do not peel, the cloves of the last head of garlic. Scatter them on the bottom of the roasting pan, and pour in the wine and stock. Cover the chicken lightly with foil.
8. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and roast another 60 minutes, until the juices run clear and the skin is crisp. Baste every 15 minutes or so.
9. Remove the chicken to rest. Set the roasting pan over medium-high heat on the stove, and reduce the pan sauce to 1/2 cup. Serve alongside the roasted chicken.