Ingredients

Step by step

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Put the soft cheese, garlic and half the chives into a small bowl. Finely grate in the zest from the lemon and mix it all together with some seasoning. Cut the lemon in half, remove the bindings from the chicken and stuff the lemon halves inside.
2. Carefully work your fingers under the skin at the neck end, releasing the skin from the meat so you form a pocket on top of each breast. Using a teaspoon, push the creamy cheese mixture into the pockets, smoothing the mixture as far up the breast as you can. Tuck the loose neck skin underneath the chicken.
3. Sit the chicken in a roasting tin and lay the prosciutto over the breast to cover. Roast in the top of the oven for 1 hour, removing the ham after 30 minutes, once it’s really crispy; set aside.
4. Once the chicken is in, pour the olive oil into your largest roasting tray and add the carrots and squash in a single layer. Toss to 6 coat in the oil and season. When the chicken has had its first 20 minutes in the oven, put the veg tray in to roast below it, turning once and adding the onions to the tin after 20 minutes.
5. After 1 hour, the chicken should be cooked, with the juices running clear when you pierce the thickest part of the thigh. Remove from the oven, cover with foil and leave to rest. Transfer the veg to the top shelf and continue to roast them for another 20 minutes (they need 1 hour in total). Add the ham to the tray for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking to re-crisp.
6. Carve the chicken and spoon over some of the creamy juices from the tin. Scatter the veg with the remaining chives, then serve up with the chicken and crispy ham, plus steamed green beans or other greens, if you like.