Perfect Roast Chicken

Ingredients
1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
2 small to medium size shallots, cut in half crosswise
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, along with all the garlic and shallot. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place into roasting pan or pot, depending on whether you want the chicken skin deeply browned.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve.