Preheat your oven to 450°F.
To prepare your chicken, remove any organs from the body cavity of the bird. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and remove any stray feather quills left in the skin.
Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper over the entire chicken, inside and out.
Slice off wing tips or tuck them behind the wing in so they don’t burn. If trussing the bird, do so now.
Place chicken breast-side up (tail should be on the bottom) in baking dish or roasting pan.
Bake for 40 to 90 minutes depending on the size of the chicken (about 1 hour for a 4-pound chicken), until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meat of the thigh reads 165°F or juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a knife.
Remove chicken from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve and enjoy!
