20 WAYS TO COOK A CHOOK

Matt Preston has 20 brilliant new ways to rock the humble chicken, writes Dan Stock

It’s the culinary equivalent of being put in “the friend zone”. Lacking the name-checked firepower of beef, lamb’s romantic notion of seasonality, or the opulent, swoon-worthy decadence of pork, chicken is the fail-safe go-to that can be relied on to deliver comfort but hardly sets the heart racing.

“If you go to a fancy restaurant, you’re not going to order chicken,” Matt Preston says.

So why has the MasterChef judge and author dedicated two chapters to the humble chook in his new book, Yummy Easy Quick?

“The great thing about chicken is that there’s lots going on with it,” he says.

“Think about a skin-on chicken thigh — you have the crispiness of skin, succulence of meat, a layer of fat under the skin. We definitely underrate chicken.

“Familiarity has bred contempt, but with a whole chicken you have the oyster, thigh, wing, leg, breast, all slightly different. It’s kinda exciting like that.”

Matt’s new book — 127 dinners that take 30 minutes or less to prepare — is all about making the most of what’s in the fridge and freezer and giving it a big burst of flavour.

And let’s face it, chicken is the protein almost every household always has to hand.

“Chicken is the most popular protein, it’s the most searched protein on taste.com.au, by a mile,” Matt says.

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘I’ll buy this book just for the chicken thigh and chicken breast chapters’.

“Everyone wants to find quick ways to deliver big vibrant bursts of flavour.”

Here, then, are Matt’s 20 new ways to transform the humble chook into dinners that will have everyone around the table falling head over heels. 1/“The problem with chicken breasts is that the leanness of the meat means it dries out,” Matt says. “So I’ve been smash grilling them.”

Rub the chicken with your flavouring of choice, then whack them on the hot BBQ to sear. Move them off the flame, using indirect heat to let them cook through, then, at the end “smash” them with heat to leave the skin crispy.

“It’s like a tango — hot, cold, hot,” Matt says. “This way you get really crispy chicken, but it’s really succulent.” 2/ Chicken mince is underrated, Matt says, nominating chicken rissoles — “bring back the rissole! — and meatballs as perfect for substituting chicken instead of beef. The key with using chicken mince is to mix something else through to keep them juicy and light. For Thai meatballs, mix 500g chicken mince with 4cm ginger (peeled, finely grated) and a bunch of coriander stalks, finely diced. Wet your hands with soy sauce and roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls, which can be pan-fried or poached in aromatic stock/soup.

3/ Chicken goes brilliantly with potato salad. “There’s something about that combo that is just so perfect,” Matt says.

4/ “There’s a reason chow mein is a classic — that’s because it’s delicious,” Matt says. “I’ve always looked at reinventing retro dishes that have a warm and fuzzy feeling and a modern chicken chow mein is great.” Try the Chinese technique of “velveting” the chicken for a silky texture. Whisk 1 egg white, 1 tbsp cornflour and 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar in a bowl. Add thinly sliced chicken thigh pieces, toss to coat and leave for 30 mins (or longer). Wok toss with egg noodles and vegetables.

5/ Talking of retro foods, Matt’s convinced we’ll see a return of the vol-au-vent. Get ahead of the trend by serving vol-au-vents with a chicken and leek, or chicken, mushroom and bacon, filling at your next drinks party.

6/ Make rissoles with chicken mince and a paste of coriander stems and roots, lime zest, lemongrass, fish sauce, palm sugar and lime juice. Serve on rice noodles topped with cucumber, Thai basil leaves, mint and sliced red chilli. Sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts and drizzle with sweet chilli sauce. “Call these bun cha (Vietnamese patties) and people will think they’re cool.”

7/ “I learnt this chicken mandi recipe when I was in Dubai, and it’s such a simple, brilliant idea,” Matt says. Make turmeric butter and rub it over/under the skin of a whole chicken. Stuff with aromats such as parsley. Grease the grill of the oven and put the bird on top. Put a big pot of rice with water er underneath. All the fat and flavour from the roasting chicken drips into the rice, which cooks at the same time

“The bird is golden and crispy and you have this delicious sticky, chicken-spicy rice."

8/ “Sweet potato and chicken is a match made in heaven Especially if you drizzle mapple syrup over the potatoes. Oh and add some bacon, too!"

9/ Chicken can work with big and bold flavours — think chicken cacciatore — as well as being subtle and elegant - think poached chicken. Matt's favoured poaching method is to bring a pot of chicken stock to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the chicken breasts and leave for an hour. The breasts will almost cook through veg perfect in a to pan then to finish. toss through

10/ The combination of familiarity and flexibility means you can’t go far wrong with chicken. “It means you can be a bit braver with it, cooking with bolder flavours,” Matt says. “One of my favourite things to cook is chicken with ‘goopy' stuff in a bag, mixed around. Leave for half an hour, whack in the oven, done! That’s cooking."

11/ Roast chicken on a raft of celery. Destring 6 celery stalks and add to the pan with chicken stock. Roast chicken atop. “You’re left with really lovely creamy celery,” Matt says.

12/ “As a political and ethical statement, I’d say eat less meat and eat better quality," Matt says, but who writes his recipes to work with whatever quality chicken people tend to buy on a daily basis. “Never buy the cheapest, but the top stuff is out of reach of most people's budget. The whole point of cooking is to give you a recipe that enhances ordinary stuff.

13/ A herb garden will change the way you approach chicken. “Chicken and bay leaf is amazing, and that’s super easy to grow. Spring onions, oregano