“Perfect for all the family,” Mary Berry said of her chicken recipe, it will only need to be roasted for 35 minutes.
Serving up to six people, the seasoned chicken breasts can then be frozen for up to two months if there’s any left over.
The only caveat, however, is that the chicken breasts with leek, potatoes and thyme can only be frozen without the potatoes.
Featuring in Mary Berry’s The Complete Aga Cookbook (although this recipe has been adapted for a conventional oven), you can recreate the recipe.
Here’s how to make Mary Berry’s chicken breasts with leek, potatoes and thyme meal.
Chicken breasts with leek, potatoes and thyme
Serves: six people
Ingredients
- 350g baby new potatoes
- Salt and black pepper
- Four thin leeks, cut into 2cm slices
- Six small chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
- One tbsp olive oil
- One tbsp runny honey
- 50g butter
- One onion, thinly sliced
- One garlic clove, crushed
- 50g flour
- 450ml
- Apple juice
- 200ml full-fat crème fraiche
- One tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Two tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Equipment
- Cooking pan
- Colander
- Frying pan
- Slotted spoon
- Ovenproof dish
- Foil
Method
Put the new potatoes into a pan, cover with cold water, add salt and bring to the boil. Boil for 12 minutes, then add the leeks to the water and boil for a further three minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender. Drain in a colander.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and drizzle with honey.
Quickly brown the chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the butter to the unwashed frying pan. Add the onion and garlic and fry for a few minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour, stir in the apple juice and mix until smooth. Add the crème fraîche and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Stir until thickened and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat, add the leeks and potatoes and stir to mix. Tip into the ovenproof dish and sit the chicken on top. Cover with foil and seal the edges.
Bake in an oven preheated to 200C (fan 180C/gas six) for up to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for a further 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve with a green vegetable.
