When we asked some of our chef friends to riff on the humble chook, they didn't disappoint, turning up the flavour and dialling down the guilt to make weeknight dinners light as a feather.

From Hayden Quinn’s cayenne chicken skewers with black bean salsa to Monty Koludrovic’s Italian winter chicken stew, chefs looked at the whole bird to deliver a range of healthy chicken meals that are bound to impress, no matter what night it is.

Using the thighs, the whole bird, the breasts and not wasting a bit, we challenged chefs to reconsider the chook. Hayden Quinn started with chicken thigh fillets, turning to the humber skewer fort he ultimate weeknight meal.

Corey Costelloe, the head chef at Rockpool Bar and Grill, used the whole bird in his contemporary rendition of the roast.

delicious. food editor Warren Mendes made the weeknight classic Parmigiana something to be cooed over.

Chef Christine Manfield turned to healthy turmeric in her tweak on chicken soup, making it anti-inflammatory and delicious at once.

Sydney’s Icebergs Dining Room and Bar combined chicken with dark greens and wholegrain rice. Has a chicken dinner ever been so healthy?