In her new book, chef Rosemary Shrager guides you through tried and tested recipes that she vows will turn you into a better cook

Try this tangy twist on the family favourite - we promise you won't be disappointed  

This variation on the usual chicken Kiev has a delicious tomato filling. It is decadent but well worth trying. Serve with a green salad.

A word on herbs 

One way of building flavour in cooking is by the clever use of herbs. The following lists suggestions for which herbs work best with which foods. Remember that if you’re using dried herbs, you need only about a third of the amount of fresh as the flavour is more intense

Basil: Tomatoes, vegetables, salad, pasta, chicken, lamb, pork.

Bay leaves:  Soups, pasta sauces, fish, beef casseroles.

Chervil: Fish, chicken.

Chives: Eggs, sauces, salad, potatoes, lentils, chicken.

Coriander: Tomatoes, vegetables, beans, chicken

Dill: Eggs, vegetables, fish, shellfish, chicken, pork.

Fenugreek leaves: Indian dishes, chicken, pork, vegetables, sausages.

Marjoram: Tomatoes, soups, beans, stuffings, chicken, lamb, beef.

Mint: Sauces, coulis, sweet dishes, beans, chicken, pork, lamb.

Oregano: Soups, tomatoes, beans, ham salad, pork, beef.

Parsley: Eggs, beans, potatoes, shellfish, fish, chicken, pork, lamb, beef.

Rosemary: Potatoes, squashes and other vegetables, stuffings, chicken, lamb, beef.

Sage: Veg, pasta, gnocchi, stuffings, pork sausages, beef.

Savory: Squash, peas, salads, chicken, turkey, lamb.

Tarragon: Eggs, veg, salads, beans, fish, chicken.

Thyme: Eggs, soups, potatoes, stuffings, casseroles, chicken, pork, sausages, lamb, beef.

Serves 4

• 100g (3½oz) sun-blushed tomatoes, drained well
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 40g (1½oz) butter, at room temperature
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 2tbsp roughly chopped parsley
• 150g (5½oz) plain flour
• 200g (7oz) panko breadcrumbs, blitzed in a food processor until fine
• 3 eggs, beaten
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 4 small boneless chicken breasts, skinned
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Put the tomatoes in a food processor with the garlic, butter, thyme and parsley and blitz to a paste. Divide this into 4 portions and put them on a plate in the freezer for 30 minutes. 

This makes the stuffing easier to use. Put the flour and blitzed breadcrumbs in separate bowls and beat the eggs in a third bowl.

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Take a chicken breast and make a small slit in one side. 

Cut further into the breast to make a hole big enough to fill with a portion of stuffing, but be careful not to cut all the way through. Season the flesh inside, then push the stuffing right in. 

Brush the rim with a little of the beaten egg, then seal. Prepare the other chicken breasts in the same way.

Dip each chicken breast into the flour, then dip it into the egg and then the breadcrumbs, then repeat the egg and breadcrumbs so each breast is double-coated. Half fill a deep-fat fryer or a large pan with oil. 

Heat to 160°C (use a cooking thermometer if you’re frying in the pan), and cook the chicken Kievs, two at a time, for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Or you can bake the chicken in a preheated oven at 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6 for 40 minutes.

Extracted from Rosemary Shrager’s Cookery Course by Rosemary Shrager, published by BBC Books, £20. Offer price £16 until 06/10/2018, order at mailshop. co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over £15. Photography © Andrew Hayes-Watkins.

ROSEMARY'S GOLDEN RULES

Rosemary's golden rules include buying everything fresh and being organised

I’m all for breaking rules but there are some kitchen habits I stick to.

Buy everything as fresh as possible. Supermarkets have their place, but look at local farms and markets too.

Be organised when preparing food. Keep your ingredients on your left and prepped food on your right.

When preparing ingredients, finish one task before starting the next, ie. skin all your tomatoes, then chop – don’t peel one, chop it, then go back to peeling. It’s just not efficient.

Clear up as you go. Mess is stressful. 

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