Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Rinse the chicken, both inside and out. If the chicken comes with giblets, save them for gravy or chicken stock.

Once the chicken has been rinsed, pat it dry. You want the skin to be really, really dry. Make sure you dry under the wings and in between the legs and the body. Also, dry out the body cavity, if your hand will fit. The less water, the less steam you'll have and the browner and crispier the skin will be (yum!).

Place the dried chicken in a large baking dish, cast iron frying pan, dutch oven, or other oven safe dish.

Place the thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, lemon wedges, and chopped garlic inside the body cavity.

Using a brush or your hands, rub the chicken with some of the melted butter.

Generously coat the chicken with sea salt and black pepper. I tend to use 1–2 tsp of coarse sea salt (use less if you're using fine ground salt) and about 1 tsp course ground black pepper. You can always adjust this to suit your tastes. The salt will help keep the skin crispy.

Add the chopped veggies around the chicken and then drizzle the rest of the melted butter over the veggies. Give them a dash of salt and pepper.

Place the pan in the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees.

Cook for 60 minutes and then check the internal temperature. You want the final temperature in the thigh to be 165°. Checking the thigh will give you the most accurate reading. If the temperature is not quite there, return to the oven and cook for another 30–45 minutes, or until it reaches 165°. Total cooking time will depend on your altitude and the amount of veggies surrounding the bird.

Remove from the oven and let sit for 15–20 minutes before cutting.