I confess that I use Chicken breasts more than any other kind of chicken. They are an incredibly versatile protein. You can adapt them to so many flavours and uses.

Sometimes I will cook them on their own with some simple seasonings or other flavours added. Other times I will poach them so that I can use the meat for sandwiches or in casseroles. I usually keep packages of them in the freezer ready to go for whatever purpose.

This simple method of cooking them that I am sharing with you today would also work well with chicken thighs.  I actually love eating chicken thighs most of all, but generally speaking  I will eat the breast because it is lower in fat. 

Thighs have an almost gamey flavour that works very well with stronger flavours.  These Tomato and Herb Baked Thighs are one of my favourite ways to cook them. This was a real favourite of Mr B's business partner when I lived down South and worked at the Manor.  I also had the opportunity to cook it for Princess Sophie's father on one occasion.

Although I have used chicken breasts here today, with the skin on, you could also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They will not take quite so long to cook as this version, so be careful to not let them dry out.

The skin in this recipe helps to keep the meat moist and does impart flavour. Plus it gets nice and crisp. I admit I do love crisp chicken skin, even if its not that healthy to eat.

 

 

They don't take too long in the oven. Only about 15 minutes maximum in total. You just want to roast them until they are cooked through and the juices run clear with no pinkness remaining. 

If you are checking them with a thermometer the meat should register 165*F/75*C when inserted in the thickest part of the chicken. I like to baste the breasts a few times while they are cooking with some of the pan juices.

That is basically it. The chicken is done. All it needs to do after that is rest for about five minutes. I have given instuctions for two breasts, but you can easily multiply this to cook as many as you want.

This chicken always ends up tender and very juicy.  It is filled with incredible flavours also. There is something about thyme which goes very well with chicken. I dare say you could add a few cloves of peeled and bashed garlic to the butter in the pan as well before you put it into the oven for even more flavour.

  

Once your chicken is cooked through, you will want to rest it before serving it.  This allows the juices of the chicken to be reabsorbed along with the other flavours.  

Too many people don't allow their meat to rest after cooking it. This is a huge mistake and can make the difference between something which is moist and flavour filled, or something which is dry.

 I have to laugh when I think about how I cooked when I was just a young bride. My knowledge was so lacking, even though I thought I knew a lot.

I really knew nothing. I remember one time getting a good deal at the Safeway store in Calgary for whole chickens and thinking what a bargain they were.  I had no idea they were stewing hens. I had no idea there was such a thing!  DUH! 

Time and experience taught me different. We had to eat more than a few rubber chickens in my quest towards more knowlege!

 

Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Thyme

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Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 5 Mincook time: 21 Mininactive time: 5 Mintotal time: 31 Min

I have used boneless, skin-on chicken breasts for this, but thighs would also work well. You can also use bone in or boneless skinless chicken, but the cook times would need adjusting. These are simple to make, moist and delicious with a crisp skin and beautiful flavour.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets (6 to 8 ounces each)
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 TBS unflavoured cooking oil
• 2 TBS butter
• a handful of sprigs of fresh thyme
• half of a fresh lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/gas mark 6.
2. Pat the chicken dry with some kitchen towels and then season generously all over with salt and black pepper.
3. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken skin side down and cook for about six minutes or so without agitating it. The skin should be golden brown and crisp. Carefully turn them over.  Add the butter and sprigs of thyme.
4. The butter should melt and when it does, spoon some of it over the chicken.  Place the chicken in the pan into the preheated oven.
5. Roast, basting once or twice with the pan juices, for about 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until the chicken tests done and the juices run clear.
6. Remove the chicken from the pan to a board and leave to rest for about five  minutes.
7. Serve with some of the pan juices spooned over top and a squeeze of lemon.  Delicious!

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I know I eat a lot of chicken, but it is a healthy source of protein and is incredibly versatile! Its also probably much more affordable than other kinds of protein. At least here in the UK at any rate!  Its a good thing I enjoy it!

  Before I talk about them however I wanted to tell you about something else. Perhaps you may have noticed the new background beneath my photos here on the blog today.

It is courtesy of the Paper Bag Co.  They were so impressed with my IG photos and the photos here on the blog they wanted to send me one of their Instagram Photo Bags. I don't know what was so impressive about my photos, but I am always open to discovering new ways of improving them.

   This is what they call their Instagram Bag, the Foodie Bag.  It has been created through a collaberation between phone photographer Matt Inwood and Stylist Sophie Purser. 

It is designed especially for those who enjoyand have a passion for taking photographs of food specifically for posting them online, ideally on Instagram.

It is acually quite a large bag.  The perfect size for holding your photograph taking equipment, making it easier to take along with you. 

Included in the bag is a 15-inch photographic reflector and diffuser.  This is the tool which all professional photographers have at the top of their kit bag. 

It is designed to help you to brighten and enhance both highlights and shadows, and either subtly or dramatically alter the lighting and colour in all of the images you create.

 Included are a set of four beautifully crafted papers from Black Velvet Styling, the photographic backdrop company set up by stylist Sophie a couple of years ago.  These have been designed to provide affordable backdrops for amateurs and professionals to create mouthwatering images of their food and still life creations. 

They are perfect for transforming a plate of food into a gorgeous image fit for sharing on Instagram and we’ve given you a variety of starter colours and textures to experiment with. I have used one of them here today as a backdrop for my scones.

Now back to Mary Berry's Cheese Scones.  These are THE perfect cheese scone.  I have made cheese scones before in the past and they were good, but these are excellent.

Then again, what would you expect from Mary Berry!  She is an expert in all things baked and otherwise when it comes to cooking.  I trust her judgement explicitly!

 

 I will tell you upfront that I ended up using a bit too much milk in my scones. I misinterpreted how much 1/4 pint actually was in ounces. In otherwords, I got mixed up. 

My dough was a bit wetter than it should have been. But I persevered and all credit to Mary, despite my dough being somewhat on the wet side, they still turned out beautifully.

 I have made sure that won't happen to you. My measurements in the recipe are exactly what they should be.  No worries on that score. 

These scones have a mix of beautiful flavours. Dry mustard powder and cayenne powder are both included in the mix.

 These are both ingredients that go very well with cheese. I always use them in the sauce for my favourite macaroni and cheese recipe. 

It does use self-raising flour. I understand that self-raising flour is no something some of you can get ahold of easily, but don't worry. I have included instructions in the notes on how you can make your own.

 Included as well is plenty of grated strong/sharp cheddar cheese. Do use the best cheese that your money can buy.

The better the cheese, the tastier the scone. I used a vintage cheddar from  Wyke Farms. One thing I will miss from over here is the cheese.

British cheeses are beautiful and there is such a lovely variety of them. I became a true cheese lover only since  moving here to the UK.  

Prior to this I only ate processed cheese for the most part. Nobody had ever truly been able to tempt me into trying anything stronger.

 Then of course when I worked at the manor I used to cook for a lot of dinner parties. Silver service, multiple courses.

The dinner parties always ended with a cheese course. I need to be able to put together a delicious cheese tray for my employers and their guests. The only way I could do that is if I learn about, to taste and to enjoy the cheese.

 

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Mary Berry's Cheese Scones

Yield: 8 regular scones

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 15 Mintotal time: 25 Min

Delicious cold or warm. These are fabulous cut in half and spread wih lashings of butter and a bit of chili jam!

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus 1 tsp (225g) self-rising flour (See note)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp dry mustard powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 TBS cold butter
• 1 1/4 cup (150g) grated mature cheddar cheese
• 1 large free-range egg
• milk to the equivalent of 5 fluid ounces (1/4 pint)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7.  Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. Sift the flour into a bowl along with the salt, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and baking powder. Drop in the butter and rub it into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in 2/3 of the cheese.
3. Break the egg into a measuring jug and add milk to give you the equivalent of 5 fluid ounces (1/4 pint). Stir this into the dry mixture and mix to a soft but not sticky dough.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly for a few turns. Pat out into a 6 inch round.
4. Stamp out into rounds using a sharp round (2 1/2 inch) cutter and place onto the baking sheet.  Brush the tops with a bit more milk and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until well risen and golden.  Slip onto a wire rack to cool.  Best eaten on the day.

notes:

To Make Self Raising Flour: Just add 1 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder for each 150g/6oz/1 cup plain flour, plus 1/4 tsp salt. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together into a bowl before using, to make sure the baking powder is thoroughly distributed (or you can put both ingredients into a bowl and whisk them together).

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You really cannot fault any of Mary Berry's recipes. If you follow them scrupulously, they always turn out and are fail proof!  I have never had a failure with any of them!  

 

 

 

 

I saved quite a few of them through the years. I still use some of the recipes that I gleaned from them, so all was not lost! 

As I said, this recipe came from a Robin Hood Flour one. Baking Festival Recipes was the title.  There are 27 pretty tasty recipes for cakes, cookies, muffins, etc. in it.

 

 You begin by soaking some old fashioned oats in milk. I always use whole milk for my baking unless otherwise specified. 

Old fashioned oats are the large flake oats. Don't be tempted to use instant oats. They will no have the right consistency. You want an oat with some bite to it.  Instan oats would become far too gummy.

 Using the whole oats gives you a muffin with plenty of lovely wholesome texture. Oats are very good for you and are filled with fibre and iron and are good for your heart.

The chopped orange gets stirred into the soaked oats, along with an egg, some brown sugar and melted butter.  There is also plenty of chopped dates in the mix.  I adore dates.

 They have a lovely sticky toffee flavour.  Dates are actually what makes sticky toffee cake so moist and delicious. I love to use dates in my baking and always have a bag or two in the store cupboard.

They are wonderful in cakes and bakes.  I love to make date slices, and of course they work beautifully in muffins such as these ones I am sharing today.  Little sticky hints of caramel to go along with the tart orange flavours.

When I was living down South I sometimes went into London to the Borough Market. I don't know what you couldn't get at the Borough Market.

It was filled with stalls selling everything from soup to nuts! I remember one time buying these lush chocolate covered dates.  I still think about them.  Taste memories are some of the best kinds of memories.

 

I had loved it as a child and they had stopped making it. I was 21 when I was pregnant for Eileen and I am 65 now.  That is a long time to have a craving for something! 

Taste memories. They only get better with time. Either that or we crave them more. One way or the other most of them will never be fulfilled.  Now back to the muffins.

 These delicious moist muffins will always be there for us. That's the good thing about recipes like this. They never disappear or go away so long as you curate them and keep them in a safe place.

And that's what I am doing today.  Sticking the recipe here online for everyone to enjoy! Tina and Tony were here earlier and they said they were excellent!

Tangy from the orange, which also adds to the moistness.  Studded with sticky toffee dates, and willed with wholesome oats.

I cannot think of a way in which these could ever be improved!  I really can't.  Unless you also wanted to add some toasted chopped nuts.

 

Orange, Date & Oat Muffins

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Yield: Makes 12

Author: Marie Rayner

prep time: 10 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 35 Min

These lush muffins contain a whole orange, which makes for a tangy muffin that is quick and easy to bake and studded with sticky bits of date!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (300ml) whole milk
• 1 cup (80g) old fashioned oats
• 1 medium orange, washed, seeded and quartered
• 1 large free range egg
• 3/4 cup firmly packed (150g) soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (120g) butter, melted
• 1/2 cup (75) chopped pitted dates
• 2 cups (280g) plain/all purpose flour
• 1 TBS baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark  6.  Line a 12 cup medium muffin tin with paper liners.
2. Measure the oats into a bowl and pour the milk over top. Let stand 5 minutes.
3. Put the orange into a food processor or blender and blitz until it is finely chopped.  Add to the oats along with th egg, brown sugar, melted butter and dates.
4. Measure the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the wet ingredients all at once and stir together just to combine.
5. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. A toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean and the tops should spring back when lightly touched.
6. Tip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.  Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @marierayner5530 on instagram and hashtag it #EnglishKitchen

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I usually bake something like a muffin at the weekend. You never know when people are going to stop by so its nice to have something in the cake tin. They are also an extra special nice treat to enjoy with a hot cuppa in the middle of the afternoon or the evening when you're watching the telly.