Chicken may not be a fancy or extravagant ingredient, but for master chef Jacques Pépin, it is one of the most symbolic. In this beautifully illustrated cookbook-cum-memoir, Jacques reminisces on his life through the lens of the humble bird, from his childhood in rural France, where he chased chickens and watched as his maman turn them into her poulet à la crème, to his demanding apprenticeship and long, illustrious career—cooking Chicken Chasseur for Charles de Gaulle and his family, turning down a chance to work as JFK’s White House Chef for Howard Johnson’s, and appearing on television alongside food-world revolutionaries like Julia Child. Throughout are Jacques’ favorite chicken and egg recipes, loosely relayed as if he were divulging them over a dinner table, as well as his remarkable paintings of the bird.