Roast Chicken Stuffed with Bread and Garlic

Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F.

Rinse the chicken thoroughly with water and then pat dry with paper towels. Rub inside and out with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut one of the whole garlic cloves in half. Rub the cut sides of the clove over each baguette strip. Spread the strips on all sides with 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter.

Using the tip of a sharp knife, make at least 12 small incisions in the skin on all sides of the chicken. Slip 1 thin garlic slice into each incision, between the skin and the meat.

Rub the inside of the chicken with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter, and then press the remaining thin garlic slices against the cavity walls. Stuff the bread strips into the chicken cavity and, using kitchen string, truss the chicken by tying the legs together and then tying the legs and wings tight against the body. Tuck the 2 thyme sprigs between the chicken thighs and body.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down, and place the lemon halves alongside. Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and turn breast side up. Scatter the remaining 5 whole garlic cloves around the chicken.

Roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Turn breast side down and roast 10 minutes longer. Add the water to the roasting pan and continue to roast until the juices run clear when the thigh joint is pierced with a knife, 10-20 minutes longer.

Transfer the chicken from the roasting pan to a cutting board. Snip the strings and remove them. Remove the bread from the cavity; arrange it around the edge of a serving platter or place it in a separate dish. Carve the chicken into 8 serving pieces and arrange them in the center of the platter, or place the whole chicken on the platter to carve at the table.

Remove the lemons from the roasting pan. Place the pan over high heat, squeeze the lemons into the pan and deglaze by stirring to dislodge any browned bits from the pan bottom. Add the veal or chicken stock and bring to a boil. Pour the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a small serving pitcher.

Place the pitcher of sauce alongside the chicken and serve at once.