Got fussy eaters in the house? Cook chicken and everyone's happy, says Diana Henry
Chicken with yogurt and pomegranate Photo: ANDREW TWORT
It's had a rough ride of late, the chicken, mostly because of how it's farmed. Is it OK to eat a Freedom Food bird? Does organic also mean free-range? I was shocked to discover, while eating round Scandinavia a few years back, that Swedes and Norwegians regard chicken as fast food. They feel as guilty about offering it to their children as they would about giving them a burger. I regularly put a chicken in my fridge, however, blessing its existence. Every week I feed my own children, plus often my partner's as well. Weekends see family gatherings of anything from six to 14 people, ranging in age from five to 85 years old. Within this there are picky eaters (five-year-old Gillies, who would eat penne with tuna at every meal if he could), adventurous eaters (10-year-old Celia, who would probably try Mexican ant eggs) and the not-that-bothered (78-year-old Martin, who would rather read poetry than eat anything). I know, though, that they will all dig into chicken with relish.
The other complaint – that it is bland – is hard to understand. No, it isn't grouse (thank God). It isn't pheasant, either. But the 'blandness' (which is more the lack of a strong flavour) is partly its virtue. It's why even the most hard-to-please enjoy it. Anyway, who can eat a griddled chicken thigh – juicy, slightly charred, seasoned with garlic, black pepper and flakes of sea salt – and not purr with pleasure?
Chicken takes well to all sorts of flavours and techniques: its flesh soaks up soy sauce; its skin becomes burnished with honey; it can lie in a delicate sauce of cream and chervil, or be skewered and marinated with pomegranate molasses, cayenne and garlic. I cook it in all seasons, but I have a particular appetite for it in spring when brighter, zingier dishes are required. In the past month I've made old-fashioned poulet bonne femme (white wine, shallots and button mushrooms), a Scandinavian braise with leeks, waxy potatoes and dill, an Eastern stew of thighs with chilli, coriander and coconut milk and a warm salad of torn chicken, olive-oil-fried sourdough, watercress and dried cherries.
Once I'd made the skewers below I went skewer-mad, marinating the meat Indian style in yogurt, garlic and ginger, or Middle Eastern style in cumin, cayenne, olive oil and lemon. The picky eaters were happy, the greedy eaters were happy. I haven't spent long preparing these dishes and it hasn't cost much. Take the advice of campaigners and buy birds farmed with care, but when you hear one of the 'cognoscenti' complaining it doesn't taste of anything, just yawn. And heat your griddle for another load of skewers.
Once I'd made the skewers below I went skewer-mad, marinating the meat Indian style in yogurt, garlic and ginger, or Middle Eastern style in cumin, cayenne, olive oil and lemon. The picky eaters were happy, the greedy eaters were happy. I haven't spent long preparing these dishes and it hasn't cost much. Take the advice of campaigners and buy birds farmed with care, but when you hear one of the 'cognoscenti' complaining it doesn't taste of anything, just yawn. And heat your griddle for another load of skewers.
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