Mexican Chicken And Polenta Recipes

CHICKEN-AND-POLENTA PUTTANESCA MELTS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler with rack 6 inches from heating element. Season polenta and chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high; swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Add polenta and cook, flipping once, until golden and crisp on edges, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add chicken to skillet; cook until browned on edges and cooked through, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to plate. Add 1 tablespoon oil, olives, capers, and garlic to skillet; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Stir marinara into skillet; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; nestle in chicken and polenta, shingling them and spooning some sauce over top. Sprinkle with cheese; broil until bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes. Top with parsley; serve.

POLENTA ENCHILADA BAKE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Slice up the polenta into 8 equal sized pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil and polenta slices. Season the tops with salt and cook until each side is lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side.
• While polenta is cooking dice up the bell peppers and onion. Remove polenta from the skillet and add remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil and diced vegetables. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add in the black beans and all the spices. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.
• Pour half the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a medium sized oven safe baking dish and then top with the veggie and bean mixture. Lay the polenta slices down in a single layer and pour over remaining enchilada sauce. Top with shredded cheese and bake until bubbly and cheese is melted, 7-10 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

CHICKEN UNDER A BRICK WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Invert a large cast-iron skillet and wrap the bottom with foil; set aside. Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and top with the foil-wrapped skillet. Cook until browned on the bottom, 6 to 8 minutes, then flip. Carefully rewrap the skillet with a clean sheet of foil; top the chicken with the skillet. Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 7 more minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes, then slice.
• Meanwhile, pour the wine into the same nonstick skillet and simmer over medium heat until reduced by three-quarters, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 3 more minutes.
• Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the polenta. Cook, whisking, until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and butter until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss the arugula with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Divide the polenta among plates. Top with the chicken, pan sauce and arugula.

ROAST CHICKEN BREAST WITH POLENTA AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place about 5 slices of the polenta in an even layer on the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place the chicken breasts on top of the polenta slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top each with the Italian seasoning and Parmesan. Arrange the garlic cloves and tomatoes around the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil.
• Bake until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes. Garnish with Parmesan and olive oil to taste. Serve warm.

MEXICAN CHICKEN AND POLENTA

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large skillet and cover with water; add chopped cilantro, oregano, onion and peeled clove of garlic.
• Cook chicken breasts over medium heat about 10 to 15 minutes; chicken should no longer be pink in center; remove chicken from pan and let cool; reserve liquid.
• Add ancho peppers to the reserved liquid in pan; cover and soak about 10 minutes (no heat on pan); drain liquid into a bowl.
• (Sometimes, I add the whole ancho to the pand and seed after they are softened.) Shred cooled chicken and set aside.
• Place peppers, garlic, tomato sauce and cumin in blender and blend on high until smooth, about 2 minutes; if you have an immersion blender you can add everything to the pan and blend.
• Pour mixture into a saucepan, add chicken and heat through about 3 or 4 minutes; use drained poaching liquid to thin a bit if it seems too dry.
• To make polenta, bring water to a boil; add salt.
• Add about 1/2 cup of the water to the cornmeal to make a paste or slurry; Slowly add cornmeal slurry to the boiling water, stirring until smooth; after 10 minutes add Splenda and corn kernels; cook another 3 to 5 minutes.
• Spoon 1/4 of the cooked polenta onto the serving plate; top with 1/4 of chicken and chili mixture; garnish with additional cilantro (optional) or chopped scallions (optional).
• OR If you prefer polenta wedges, coat a 9 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray and pour polenta into pan; smooth with a spatula; let polenta to firm up, about 3 minutes; cut into quarters and remove from pan.
• Place polenta slices in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray; cook on both sides until crispy, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.
• Place polenta wedge onto the serving plate; top with 1/4 of chicken and chili mixture; garnish with additional cilantro (optional) or chopped scallions (optional).

MEXICAN POLENTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Cook onions in nonstick pan until they start to soften, then add shredded chicken, spices, and tomato sauce. Simmer about 10 minutes.
• Spread polenta in bottom of 13 x 9 pan.
• Spread refried beans over polenta.
• Spread meat mixture over beans.
• Top with shredded cheese.
• Bake for 30-45 minutes. (Until all hot and bubbly and cheese is melted to your liking).

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.