Chicken! Chicken! Chicken!: Lynn Mendelson's First Cookbook

Cecile Ghosh was a librarian living in Rigaud, Quebec.

One-theme cookbooks seem to be the rage. For this one, Lynn Mendelson has chosen a popular meat. Her cookbook contains 121 chicken recipes from a variety of cultures and covering a variety of cooking methods: chicken sautéed and barbecued, in casseroles or soups, roasted and baked, as an appetizer, and as the famous coq au vin.

There are no shortcuts in this cookbook. Fresh ingredients are used and preparation time varies from long to longer. Under the roasting section, we are treated to exotica like Middle Eastern-style capon and roast chicken Israeli-style. Under baked chicken, we have the classic tandoori chicken of India, and Chinese hoisin glazed chicken. Under casseroles is a North African chicken and chick pea casserole, Senegalese chicken, cumin chicken, and many more. The exotica principle applies throughout, to good effect.

The recipes are given in both imperial and metric measurements. The book has a ringed binding for easy use and the index is alphabetized under the nine sections for quick reference. The whimsical cover illustration colorfully depicts the versatility of chicken.

Chicken-lovers who are fascinated by the cuisine of other countries will want to have this cookbook.