What to cook with: Chicken

Chicken is Marylin Rossano's go-to meat and it's easy to see why.

"It's simple to cook with, it's versatile and it's delicious," the recipe developer and cookbook author reels off.

"If we're going down a European flavour path, I love making chicken with lemon and capers for a mid-week dinner, because it's easy and comes together using minimal ingredients."

Chicken schnitzel is another one of her favourites.

"I always make a massive batch of two-to-three kilos at a time because they're great to stash in the freezer and cook later — and then you can add them to a caesar salad, you can make wraps with them, you can serve them with rice, the list goes on.

"And you can't really go wrong with roast chicken, can you?"

When it comes to Asian-inspired cuisine, Marylin loves frying up diced chicken with a good quality curry paste.

"I also love one-pan lemongrass chicken — I always do that with thigh, skin-on, and add onion, garlic and aromatics, some rice and bake it all in the oven for some crisp. It's quick, easy and you can't really mess it up.

"But my real go-to chicken dishes at the moment are soups, because it's winter. I love Chinese chicken and corn soup, and I also make brown rice chicken congee."

Choosing cuts and deciding whether to go skin on or off

If you're cooking low and slow, Marylin recommends using chicken on the bone — whether that's drumsticks or thighs — without skin.

"I love slow cooking with chicken on the bone because the bone enhances the flavour and tenderises the chicken," she says.

With soups, she recommends taking the skin off, too.

"It just becomes a bit too rubbery and it's not very pleasant taste-wise if you leave it on. That said, it's not bad if you're making chicken stock," she adds.

"I use breast with soups — if you're intimidated by the idea of it drying out, try tenderloins because they're the juiciest part of the breast. Dice them up, toss them into some garlic and onion powder and cornflour, then add the chicken in last [to the soup] so you get tender, poached chicken."

For stir-fries and grilled chicken, Marylin reaches for thighs every time, skin on.

"The skin leaves you with really moist chicken with a bit of crunch. Six or seven minutes on high on each side and you're golden," she says.

"If you're doing schnitzel, you definitely want breast — just make sure you bash out the meat so you have an even cooking surface.

"If you're roasting, chicken Marylands are amazing for one-pan wonders and take a similar time to cook as roast potatoes.

"And whole chickens — I like to place mine breast-side down instead of up — are of course what you want for big roast dinners."

How do you know if your chicken is cooked?

We don't want you to end up with salmonella poisoning.

Safe poultry handling is vital and all parts of the chicken need to reach 75ºC.

The meat shouldn't be pink in colour, and any juices should run clear.

A thermometer will help you ensure all potentially harmful bacteria have been destroyed in the cooking process.

Now we've got the safety stuff out of the way…

Here are 10 more chicken recipe ideas to consider adding to the rotation

1. Shredded chicken burritos with kale and corn slaw

Burritos are special: they're filling, can be eaten with one hand and they're endlessly riffable.

Why not try making your takeaway favourite at home, filled with spicy chicken and crunchy slaw?

2. Easy chicken and vegetable sausage rolls

These tasty sausage rolls are packed with chicken instead of the usual pork, veggies and herbs.

And we meant it when we described them as easy.

3. Chicken, leek and parmesan meatballs

These chicken meatballs pack a mighty, flavourful, moreish bite.

They're just as great served atop creamy mashed potato as they are piled into a crusty baguette.

Bone apple tea!

4. Easy baked saffron chicken and rice

This oven-baked dish is a firm favourite in Lina Jebeile's house.

It's so easy you won't even need to worry about boiling rice on the side — the grains are baked with a fragrant infusion of saffron and juicy chicken thighs (crispy skin included), resulting in rich flavours.

5. Julia Busuttil Nishimura's chicken caesar salad

Julia Busuttil Nishimura's classic caesar salad recipe will never let you down.

It combines seasoned chicken, fresh crunchy lettuce, crisp croutons and a creamy dressing with anchovies, giving you classic 90s nostalgia every time.

6. Chicken, chorizo and chickpea tray bake

This tray bake is the pinnacle of quick, low fuss but maximum reward weeknight cooking that's big on flavour.

10/10, you won't regret.

7. Heidi Sze's easy baked chicken nuggets

This is another recipe you can file under the "surprisingly easy to make *very well* at home" folder in the home chef part of your brain.

8. Heidi Sze's chicken, leek and parsnip soup with noodles

You can't go wrong with chicken soup. 

Delightfully chunky vegetables and noodles complement this version — and an accompanying buttered slice of sourdough is never a bad shout, either.

9. Cut down on dishes with this delicious one-pot chicken and pesto gnocchi

Lina's baked chicken and pesto gnocchi is ideal for busy weeknights, because dinner will be served in about 30 minutes, and you won't have much to wash up afterwards.

10. Julia Busuttil Nishimura's baked honey and soy chicken drumsticks

These drumsticks become gloriously sticky in the oven.

They're great served with steamed greens such as bok choy, atop fluffy rice.