Wash hands with soap and water.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Lightly spray a roasting pan or baking dish with oil or wipe it with oil using a paper towel. Before handling the raw chicken, cut several pieces of string for tying the chicken.
Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken cavity. Remove skin if desired and trim excess fat using kitchen shears or a knife. Tie ends of legs together with cotton string. Lift wing tips up toward neck; then tuck under back of chicken. Place chicken on your meat cutting board; brush or wipe with oil using a brush or paper toweling. Do not rinse raw poultry.
Wash hands with soap and water after handling uncooked chicken.
Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper and thyme in a small bowl. Mix well.
Completely coat outside of chicken with seasoning mixture. Place chicken, breast side up, in the baking dish.
Wash hands with soap and water after handling uncooked chicken.
Scrub carrots and potatoes with a clean vegetable brush under running water. Cut carrots into 1-inch pieces and potatoes into 2-inch cubes. Toss with leftover seasoning or simply salt and pepper, if desired. Arrange carrots and potatoes around chicken.
Bake until the internal temperature reaches 165 ºF on food thermometer.
Remove from oven, let rest 10 minutes. Place the chicken on a clean serving plate when finished cooking.