Chicken also lends itself to so many different flavours: it just loves lemon and garlic; it is perfectly light with ginger and chillis; and takes on another whole flavour in a sweet Moroccan tagine.

With chicken, like most of my favourite food, I tend to go for the simple approach.

In the summer, I love to skewer a few holes into two or three lemons and push them into the cavity before roasting the bird whole; the chicken thrives on the citrus zing from the lemons, or sometimes I place about 30 unpeeled cloves of garlic into the cavity before roasting, which will give the most sweet delicious flavour . . . squeeze out the garlic and enjoy with the chicken, roast potatoes and salad.

With chickens, as we all know, you get what you pay for, and we are so lucky in Ireland to have such good quality and safe poultry. I buy fantastic free-range chickens, which are reared down the road, from my local butcher.

Roast Chicken with honey, black pepper and thyme Serves 4-6 This is such a simple, but fantastic way to cook a chicken. Serve it hot with roast potatoes and other vegetables, or at room temperature with a big green salad.

One large chicken Two tbsp soft butter Three tbsp honey One tbsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns One tbsp coarse sea salt A small handful of thyme sprigs Heat the oven to 1800C, gas mark 4. Pat the chicken dry with a piece of kitchen paper and place it on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Smear the skin of the bird with the soft butter, paint with the honey, then sprinkle with the pepper and salt. Place the sprigs of thyme in the cavity and put in the oven.

Roast for about 1 3/4hours, until the chicken is cooked . . . the juices will run clear and the leg will feel slightly loose from the cavity. If the chicken begins to brown too much during cooking, just place a butter wrapper, greaseproof paper or tin foil loosely over the top.

Handy hint: For the most tender roast chicken, allow it to rest in a warm place after cooking (preferably the oven that you have just switched off) for at least 15 minutes.

Chicken with lemon and garlic Serves 4-6 I adore this simple chicken dish. Do not be put off by the huge amount of garlic . . .when it cooks like this it turns wonderfully sweet and delicious.

Two tbsp olive oil One large chicken or about six large chicken pieces (breasts, drumsticks, thighs etc) Two medium heads of garlic, cloves separated, but not peeled One glass of white wine Two large sprigs of thyme or marjoram (or one sprig of rosemary) Finely grated zest and the juice of one lemon 250ml chicken stock To Serve:

One baguette, sliced thickly and toasted Two tbsp chopped parsley Heat a wide saucepan or casserole pan on a medium heat. Add the olive oil and the chicken pieces, skin side down. Cook the chicken on either side for a few minutes until golden brown, then pour off the excess fat.

Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the garlic cloves and the white wine, and allow the mixture to boil for two or three minutes until the wine has almost evaporated.

Add the thyme or marjoram, lemon zest and the chicken stock, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover with a lid and allow it to simmer on the hob, or in an oven preheated to 1600C, gas mark 2.

Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer into a big wide bowl, or individual bowls and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Place the warm slices of toast in the centre of the table, and let each person squeeze the soft garlic out of the skin onto a piece of toast to dip into the delicious juices.

Handy hint: To check if the chicken is cooked, insert a small knife into one of the biggest pieces, and if the chicken is still a bit pink it is not yet cooked.

Moroccan chicken tagine Serves 4-6 This tagine, like many other tagines, contains honey to give it a wonderful sweetness. I like to serve this with cous cous. For convenience, you can of course make the sauce for this in advance, then add the chicken half an hour or so before you serve the tagine.

One large chicken Four tbsp olive oil Four cloves of garlic, crushed or grated Two onions, chopped Two tsp grated ginger 1 1/2-two tbsp coriander seeds, crushed Three tsp cumin seeds, crushed 11/2 tsp ground cinnamon One tbsp tomato paste One kg nice ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped, or two tins of tomatoes Two-three tbsp honey To Serve:

Wedges of lime or lemon A bowl of Greek yoghurt Heat up a large casserole or heavy saucepan, add the olive oil, garlic, onions, ginger, and the spices.

Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook on a low heat with the lid on for about 10 minutes, until the onions are soft. Add the tomato paste, the chopped tomatoes, and the honey and continue to cook, this time uncovered, until the tomato sauce is quite thick . . .about 20 minutes . . . stirring every now and then. Season to taste . . . the flavour should be quite sweet.

If you are using a big, wide-ish pan that will fit all the chicken pieces in a single layer, add them to the pan, covering them in the sauce, and cook with the lid on, on a low heat, stirring every so often, for about 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

If you don't have a big wide pan, place the chicken pieces on a roasting tray, cover with the sauce and cook in an oven at 1800C, gas mark 4, for about 30-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked.

Place the tagine on serving plates, with a wedge of lime or lemon on the side.

Put some cous cous with mint and a bowl of Greek yoghurt on the table.

Handy hint: To serve this in the traditional Moroccan way, I leave the chicken whole and cook it in the sauce (as with the pieces) but I put it into an oven in a covered saucepan at 1600C, gas mark 3, for about 1 1/2 to 13/4 hours, or until cooked.

Then I bring the chicken whole to the table, take the meat off the carcass, shred into pieces, and serve with the sauce.

Spicy Thai chicken legs Adults and children love these . . . they have that wonderful Thai mixture of sweet, salty and chilli hot flavours. Not only are these great for a barbecue, but great cooked inside too in an oven, served with rice if you like.

1kg chicken drumsticks, or chicken pieces Two red chillis, seeded and chopped Two tbsp chopped coriander . . .

leaves and stalks too Five cloves of garlic, chopped roughly Two tbsp brown sugar Juice of two limes Three tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla) One tsp ground white pepper Prick the skin of the chicken drumsticks with the prongs of a fork, about three times for each piece, and place in a dish. In a food processor, whizz up all the ingredients, or if you are making by hand, chop up the dry ingredients, then add the remaining ingredients.

Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, cover and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight if possible, tossing the chicken occasionally. Bring the chicken to room temperature before cooking. If you are cooking these on a barbecue, take the chicken out of the marinade (but leave on any little bits attached to the meat) and place on the barbeque to cook. They will take about 35 minutes . . .

start at a medium heat, then finish up for the last 10 minutes on the hottest part of the barbecue.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, boil the marinade in a saucepan, uncovered, for about five minutes, until it thickens slightly.

If you are cooking these in an oven, pour the marinade into a small saucepan and boil as above. Place the chicken in a preheated oven at 230degreesC, gas mark 9. Cook for about 35 minutes, until the meat comes away from the bone if you push it (same with cooking on a barbecue). If the skin is not brown when it has finished, place under the grill for five minutes. Serve with the sauce poured over or on the side.

Gravy To make a gravy using the juices from the roast chicken (or any kind of meat for that matter), once the chicken is cooked, remove it to a different plate or roasting tray (and cover it) to rest in the warm oven.

Take the tray on which the chicken was roasted, and pour off the excess fat.

Place the tray on a low heat on the hob, deglaze it by adding some chicken (or whatever meat you are roasting) stock, about 250ml.

Allow it to come up to the boil, and whisk it to remove all the lovely sweet caramelised juicy bits which are stuck to the bottom of the tray. I find at this stage it is a good idea to pour it into something like a pyrex jug to remove the last bit of fat.

Do this by adding a couple of ice cubes, and the fat will rise up to the top. Spoon it off and discard it.

Pour the juices into a small saucepan, (through a sieve, if you like) add another 250ml chicken stock, and boil for about 10 minutes to intensify the flavour.

Season with salt and pepper, and thicken with a little bit (about one or two tsp) of roue.

To make roux: melt 25g butter in a saucepan, add 25g flour and cook on a low heat for two minutes, stirring so it does not burn.

This can be used to thicken cooked sauces . . . just whisk into boiling liquid, a little at a time. Roux keeps for weeks in the fridge .

Stock If you have any chicken carcass and bones (raw or cooked) left over, then use them up to make a really good chicken stock. Chicken stock actually takes no time to prepare.

Put all the bones you have (raw or cooked) into a large saucepan, add one or two halved onions, one or two halved carrots and a bit of celery and leek (the green bit is great) if you have it.

Parsley or thyme stalks would be good too. Cover with cold water and simmer for about two hours.

Take off the heat, strain, and there you have your homemade chicken stock.

Allow it to cool before spooning the fat off the top (or drop in a few ice cubes to speed it up). Discard the fat.

The stock can be frozen, but if you are a little stuck for space in your freezer, place the strained and degreased stock into a wide saucepan and boil, uncovered, until it reduces down to a rich, deep brown, strongly flavoured stock . . .

do not let it burn. This can then be poured into empty ice cube trays, cooled and frozen.

Now you have your very own homemade chicken stock cubes in the freezer, ready to use . . . dilute with water whenever you need one.