Best Ever Roasted Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds, defrosted
1/4 small onion
3 fresh garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, dried sage or 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Place an oven rack at the second lowest position and preheat the oven to 450.
Spray a chicken grill rack and roasting pan (bottom and top) with cooking spray. Set aside.
Remove giblets and discard. Rinse the chicken inside and out with cold tap water, removing and discarding any excess fat.
Pat the outside of the chicken dry with a paper towel.
Place the onion quarter in the cavity of the chicken.
Peel the garlic cloves and place them inside the chicken cavity.
Sprinkle the dried rosemary inside the chicken.
Squeeze the juice from the lemon half over the outside of the chicken and then place the lemon half inside the cavity (cut it if necessary to make it fit).
Place the chicken on the prepared roasting rack and place the rack inside the roasting pan.
Rub the outside of the chicken with oil and sprinkle it lightly with salt and black pepper.
Place the pan in the oven and roast until an instant-read thermometer registers 180 when inserted in a thigh ( don't touch the bone), 50 - 60 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before cutting it into serving pieces.