Place the seasoned bird on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. This is a very important step. If the pan is too deep, the chicken will not brown well. It needs the dry heat of an open pan to roast properly. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips back under the body of the bird to avoid burning.
Some cooks love to turn the chicken over halfway through the cooking time.
This technique browns the bottom of the chicken and keeps the breast meat moist. This step is optional. Check the doneness of the chicken by several techniques. First, you will notice that the juices will run clear, not red or pink, when the chicken is done. An instant-read thermometer is your best gauge of doneness, however.