A HUMBLE roast chook helped Pete Morgan regain his MasterChef mojo.

The former Gladstone man, who works as a crane driver in Western Australia, was down in the dumps after plating up a shocking dish, which judge Gary Mehigan described as 'a thrown together combination of dry ingredients' last night.

"After yesterday's disaster I was feeling like I didn't really belong," he said.

"This might be the kick up the bum I need in this competition. I'm a bit of a laid-back guy but today I need to get into my head and tell myself 'push, push, push'."

The 31-year-old was certainly pushed in tonight's pressure test on the reality cooking show.

Continuing this week's home cooking theme, Pete, Lee and Ray had to cook along with Gary as he demonstrated his twist on classic roast chicken with peas and potatoes.

With no recipe or clock, the cooks had to keep up with the chef to create their own version of the dish.

"My challenge was to take a very simple dish… but just add a level of sophistication, just enough to challenge you guys," Gary said.

After a shaky start, Pete found his rhythm and was the most confident of the three contestants throughout the cook.

The judges praised him for keeping a cool head and plating up the dish most closely resembling Gary's original.

"It's good to see you've got a smile on your face; you did really well," George Calombaris said.

"The profile of the flavours is almost ban- on, and that sauce is smashing."

Irishman Lee Behan was sent home for serving up under-cooked chicken, while Pete walked out of the MasterChef kitchen brimming with newfound confidence.

"I was really doubting myself and it was really hard to take a step back and go maybe I don't deserve to be here, but coming in today and putting up this plate has just really reignited that I can do this and it's a really good feeling," he said.

MasterChef continues tomorrow at 7.30pm on Channel 10.