Adding fresh herbs to your dishes is one of the easiest ways to add interest and personality to your cooking. Fresh herbs grown at home are a low-calorie way to achieve gourmet flavours without spending a fortune. The best part is that growing herbs doesn’t require acres of land - if you keep them in flowerpots on your kitchen counter, you can snip off the amount you need as you need it, which is both easier on your wallet and easier than hunting for fresh herbs at the grocery store. Keeping fresh herbs on hand will let you add depth to marinades, interest to salads, and elegance to your dishes. If you are new to using fresh herbs, the easiest way to begin using them is to substitute them for dried herbs. In general, the flavour of fresh herbs is brighter and cleaner than the flavour of dried. The flavour of dried herbs diminishes over time, so using fresh herbs in your recipes ensures that you get maximum flavour out of your dish. Substituting fresh herbs for dried in your go-to chicken dishes will wake up your tastebuds and open your eyes to a wide array of flavour possibilities. As a rule of thumb, one tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs is equivalent to one teaspoon dried. If added to a soup or a sauce, fresh herbs should be added just before serving. Try adding a few leaves of chopped fresh basil or a couple of sprigs of tarragon to an Alfredo sauce, or whole basil and parsley leaves to a grilled chicken salad. Adding leafy herbs to the greens in salad is an easy way to determine which herbs you like best. Fresh herbs are wonderful in marinades, too. Try substituting fresh oregano for dried in a Greek chicken marinade for wonderfully authentic flavour. Once you begin growing and using fresh herbs in your favourite dishes, you’ll want to experiment with all sorts of flavour combinations. Tomatoes and basil are a classic combination, as is apple and sage. Cheddar and rosemary pair beautifully, as do cucumber and mint, and strawberries and tarragon. Everyday recipes will soon become gourmet classics for your family when you start using fresh herbs!