Preheat oven to 450℉.

Bring a large saute pan over high heat with 2 tablespoons evoo. Add onions and cook until soft, add garlic and mushrooms with a few leaves from thyme sprigs. Saute mushrooms 5 to 10 minutes until lightly crip. Remove from heat, add lemon zest and juice and season well with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool (this step can be made ahead).

Once the mixture has cooled, add pine nuts, bulgur and egg and mix well.

Spread about half stuffing in bottom of a large baking pan or casserole dish. Place chicken on top of stuffing in pan.

Using hands, push the stuffing in between the meat and skin of the chicken.

Stuff the remaining thyme sprigs into the cavity of the chicken. Drizzle remaining evoo over chicken and season with salt and pepper.

Roast the chicken for 20 minutes at high heat. Turn down the oven temperature to 250℉ and slow roast until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 160℉ ( about 1 hour).

Remove from oven and loosely cover with foil. Allow the chickens to rest before carving.