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Who needs an entire cookbook devoted to chicken? Okay, sure, chicken is affordable, versatile, and easy to cook. But you'd run out of ideas after 20 pages, right?
Nope. In the hands of Diana Henry, food writer at London's Sunday Telegraph and author of a slew of gorgeous cookbooks, chicken becomes more than a default dinner choice—it's the foundation for an almost unlimited range of flavors. The lessons you'll learn in the pages of her latest book, A Bird in the Hand, are the cure for any chicken rut you happen to find yourself in.
Here's what we learned about making chicken better:
Chicken's affinity with citrus is well-documented. But to really turn up the flavor, upgrade from citrus juice and zest straight to the flavor's most concentrated: Orange marmalade. Just a few spoonfuls tossed with chicken drumsticks before roasting (along with a dollop of Dijon, orange wedges, and a couple crushed garlic cloves) create a sticky-sweet glaze that permeates every single bite.
A chicken schnitzel made with regular breadcrumbs is already a golden, crispy delight. But swap out your ordinary breadcrumbs for ones made from a few slices of pulverized rye bread, and you're get a whole other layer of crunch and nutty flavor.
To infuse maximum flavor and juiciness into a roast chicken, Henry chops an whole entire bunch of dill: She mixes half of the leafy part with butter and slather under—and over—the skin before roasting. And instead of throwing away the dill stems, she tucks them into the chicken's cavity. That other half of the bunch? She sprinkles it generously over chicken when it comes out of the oven.
Okay, sure, it sounds weird. But if you're a fan of tender chicken and plenty of rich, chickeny juices to soak up with rice or hunks of bread, you're going to want to learn this trick: Brown a whole chicken in a large Dutch oven, then add a couple cups of whole milk, some garlic cloves, a few bay leaves, a grating of nutmeg, and the grated zest of two lemons. Bring to a boil, then cover and bake at 350F for 1 1/2 hours, uncovering the pot halfway through. Your reward? A surprisingly succulent bird.
Reheating last night's chicken? Dull. But serving it at room temp alongside freshly roasted vegetables and nutty grains, drizzled with tahini dressing? That's a whole new bird.
