Method:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C.
• Heat half of the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat.
• Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the mushrooms and half of the thyme leaves. Turn up the heat and fry for another 5-10 minutes until the mushrooms go slightly crispy.
• Remove the mushrooms from the heat, add the zest of the lemon and a squeeze of lemon juice, and season well. Set aside to cool.
• Once the mushrooms have cooled, add the breadcrumbs, pistachio nuts, beaten egg and soft butter to make the stuffing. Season.
• Carefully push your fingers between the meat and the skin of the chicken to gently create a pocket for the stuffing. Push a quarter of the stuffing into this pocket. Insert the remaining thyme sprigs into the chicken cavity, followed by the rest of the stuffing.
• Drizzle the chicken with the rest of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Place the chicken on a baking tray and place in the preheated oven. Once the chicken is in the oven, turn the heat down to 200°C.
• Cook the chicken for about 60 minutes until golden brown and cooked. When pierced, the juices must run clear.
• Remove from the oven and leave the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before serving with herbed barley risotto.