cover image The One-Dish Chicken Cookbook: Featuring 120 Soups, Stews, Casseroles, Roasts, and More from Around the World

The One-Dish Chicken Cookbook: Featuring 120 Soups, Stews, Casseroles, Roasts, and More from Around the World

Mary Ellen Evans. Broadway Books, $17.95 (212pp) ISBN 978-0-7679-1824-4

Evans expands on the culinary themes featured in 2004's Bistro Chicken in this accessible collection of simple chicken recipes that stresses easy preparation and minimal clean-up. ""No matter its form, chicken is always a reliable base for delightful dining,"" she writes before showing how versatile this staple can be, with recipes ranging from classics like Chicken A La King to African Chicken and Peanut Stew and Chicken in Green Mole Sauce. Evans offers a remarkable variety of dishes, all of which are hearty enough to constitute a meal. While there are plenty of stews and braises, she also includes a number of soups, skillet-based meals and Asian dishes. But it's the traditional roasted and stew-like feasts that offer the most creativity. Egyptian Chicken, with its heady blend of cumin, nutmeg, cayenne and coriander, and Bourbon-Brined Chicken with Cornbread Stuffing will have cooks rummaging through their cupboards to make sure they've got all the ingredients on hand. None of the recipes are beyond the reach of basic cooks, although some dishes such as the classic French Pot-au-Feu require quite a bit of preparation and cooking time. Evans thoughtfully includes make-ahead tips as well as suggestions for accompaniments.