If you’re looking for a variety of ways to prepare chicken, look no further than Maryana Vollstedt’s The Big Book of Chicken.

Subtitled “More than 275 Recipes for the World’s Favorite Ingredient,” the book comprises a dizzying myriad of approaches to cooking chicken, including frying, sautéing, poaching, stir-frying, braising, broiling, grilling, roasting… and that’s not even the complete list.

Vollstedt, who lives in Eugene, Oregon, has written cookbooks since the mid-1960s and has penned many of the titles in Chronicle’s Big Book series, including The Big Book of Casseroles, The Big Book of Soups & Stews, The Big Book of Potluck, The Big Book of Easy Suppers, The Big Book of Breakfast, as well as several stand-alone cookbooks.

Before embarking on recipe testing, I read through the highly informative opening chapter, “All About Chicken.” This is a great reference, especially for novice cooks. Vollstedt discusses the different labels for chicken (“all natural,” “free range,” “organic,” and “kosher”); classifications (Cornish game hens, broilers, fryers, stewing hen, capon); how to cut up whole chickens; and safe handling tips. Even experienced cooks will learn a thing or two from this chapter.

Recipes are divided into eight sections – Appetizers & Hors d’oeuvres, Soups, Main-course Salads, Sandwiches, Stove-top Chicken, Chicken from the Oven, Casseroles, and Chicken on the Grill – and lean toward time-honored classics with a few ethnic-inspired dishes.

I tested recipes from several sections, starting with the Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce appetizer, which can also be served as a main dish.

Consisting of just four ingredients – peanut oil, soy sauce, honey, and garlic – the marinade was simple to make, and each flavor could be tasted in the finished product. The star of the dish, however, was the peanut dipping sauce. Cooks will need to have a well-stocked pantry to make the sauce – a concoction of 11 ingredients – but it’s worth the investment. It’s the best, most complex-flavored, smooth. and creamiest-textured peanut sauce I’ve ever had.

I also made batches of Vollstedt’s Chicken Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa, Basic Chicken Stock, and Tarragon Chicken Salad. All the instructions were easy to follow; portions, measurements, cooking times, and temperatures were all accurate.

The book’s downsides are few but notable. No nutritional information is given for any of the recipes, so calorie- or fat-conscious cooks will have to do the math themselves. Also, the all-text, photo-less design of the book requires a cook with a vivid imagination – someone who can visualize what they’re cooking based on a list of ingredients and recipe titles like “Chicken Charisma” or “Deviled Fried Chicken.”

Shortcomings aside, any home cook who is looking to expand his or her repertoire of chicken recipes is bound to find new favorites in The Big Book of Chicken.

—Peter Szymczak