From the classic British Roast to the traditional French Coq au Vin, chicken is a staple food the world over. In today's modern mass-producing world, chicken is cheap, it blends with hundreds of different flavours and it has a very healthy image.

All that makes it one of the most popular meats on the planet. Britain eats around 16 million chickens per week and they form a whopping 40% of the UK’s overall meat intake.

On Ever Wondered we meet chicken lovers from Henry VIII to Mrs Beeton, we find out just how nutritious chicken soup really is, and why it’s a fast food favourite.

In the kitchen, Paul Merrett shows how understanding science and a good red wine can produce a great Coq Au Vin, what’s needed to create a spicy marinade for Chicken Kebabs, cooks the perfect Roast Chicken, and reveals the secret bit of chicken that all chefs love to eat.