Spring chicken: 12 ways to enjoy chicken right now

Bite

As we enter spring, our thoughts turn to lighter meals, incorporating the best produce of the season. Chicken is the perennial family favourite because it's a good source of protein with a delicate flavour to suit all tastes, and it's so very versatile. With spring in mind, here are 12 things you can do with chicken right now.

Poach it

It's economical to poach a whole chicken with aromatics and seasonings and use the delicately flavoured meat over a few nights. Warren Elwin suggests this chicken breast and quinoa salad and chicken soup.

Ray McVinnie offers an alternative to a whole chicken. He demonstrates how to poach chicken breasts, and the result is perfectly juicy and succulent meat for salads, sandwiches and the like.

Chop it up

Learning to chop a whole chicken into pieces is a skill every cook should know. Let Celia Hay from New Zealand School of Food and Wine guide you through the steps.

Make chicken stock

Once chopped into pieces, use the remaining carcass to make chicken stock. Nothing compares to the flavours of homemade stock, and having it on-hand makes these light soups easy to put together.

Add a little sweetness

Bring a bit of sunshine onto the plate by introducing fruity flavours. Mango, pineapple and pear are available year-round and are big hits with chicken.

Partner it with asparagus

Spring heralds in one of our favourite vegetables. Known as the king of spring greens, asparagus is best enjoyed at its freshest. Delicately sweet, it partners well with chicken for memorable midweek meals.

Make a stir-fry

When warmer weather calls for quick light meals, whip up a chicken stir-fry packed with spring greens. Serve with fluffy white rice. Tip: Watch Ray McVinnie's video on how to make the perfect fluffy white rice.

Make a salad

Rejoice in light and fresh salads. Just add lean chicken for protein.

Fire it up on the barbecue

When the weather fines up, make a beeline for the barbecue and get grilling.

Introduce spring greens

Green beans, baby vegetables, artichokes... springtime sees a burst of new produce to incorporate into your chicken dinners.

Roll it up

Light, fresh and filled with crunchy greens, spring rolls are ideal for the office, school lunchboxes or an outdoor picnic.

Make a lighter roast

Roasts are too good to be limited to winter. Bring out lighter notes in the marinade with the use of citrus and fresh herbs to enjoy a roast chicken in the springtime.