Saucy chicken over creamy polenta is my kind of comfort food. You’ll love this recipe. It’s easy as pie and super quick to make. It consists of polenta with cottage cheese, chicken breasts covered in BBQ sauce and some lovely juicy cherry tomatoes. Make it for lunch or dinner all year round.
I love polenta. You can combine this golden coarsely ground cornmeal with meat, sauces, fish, vegetables and fruits. Also, polenta comes with plenty of healthy benefits: it’s low in fat, rich in protein, vitamin A and fibre. And, it is suitable for those of you who are on a gluten-free diet.
Moreover, polenta is so versatile, you can create wonderful dishes, from savoury to sweet, from side dishes, one-pot meals to desserts. I still have to make a polenta dessert, though. When I was little, I really liked hard-consistency polenta in a bowl of hot milk and sprinkled with brown sugar. Yummy. Does this count as dessert? Wink.
But, if you fancy more polenta recipes check out these: a lovely polenta with segedin goulash, cool-looking polenta fries and creamy polenta with chorizo. They are all easy to make and amazingly tasty.
Polenta; thick, medium or soft
Furthermore, there are three types of consistency of polenta – the thick, medium and soft polenta. Like the consistency also the flavour really depends on which liquid and how much of the liquid you use to cook it. But that’s common sense, isn’t it?
In other words, for a thick consistency use the polenta-water proportion 1:3, for a medium consistency use 1:4 and for a very soft polenta use 1:5. The more liquid you use, the more the polenta will be runny.
I remember, my grandmother used to cook polenta always in water over an open fire. My mother, on the other hand, is swapping between water, vegetable stock and sometimes even milk. And I? Well, I use all of them. Once I cooked it in coconut milk and once in a milk-cream mixture. It was extremely delicious both times.
However, this time I simply cooked it in water. But at the very end, I added a couple of spoons of cottage cheese and a bit of butter. The cottage cheese (or you can use also cream cheese) gives a slight creaminess to the polenta. Yummy.
Also, because this recipe is so simple and uses only simple ingredients, I decided to add some homemade BBQ sauce. A couple of spoons will make a big difference in the flavour. It’s delicious and perfect for potatoes or burgers, too.
Ingredients for 2 portions of saucy chicken over creamy polenta:
- 120 g polenta (coarsely ground cornmeal)
- 480 ml of water
- 200-250 g cherry tomatoes
- 300 g chicken breasts (cut into larger chunks)
- 3 Tbsp BBQ sauce
- 2 Tbsp cottage cheese
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
In a pot heat some water and only when it is about to boil, stir in the polenta (using a whisk). Season with salt and cook on medium heat for about 20 minutes with continuous stirring. Once you get your desired consistency, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the butter and cottage cheese. Season by tasting, cover with a lid and put aside.
Furthermore, cut the chicken breasts into larger chunks and wash the cherry tomatoes. In a non-sticking pan, heat some olive oil. When it gets hot, add the chicken, season it and brown it on all sides. If it looks like it’s sticking too much, simply add a splash of water or white wine.
At this point, add the lovely BBQ sauce to the chicken and stir to coat each one of the chicken pieces. Last but not least, add the cherry tomatoes, cook for 2 more minutes and then put aside.
Finally, give a last stir to the polenta and fill up the bowls with it, top with delicious chicken and juicy tomatoes. Cold, rainy and lazy days are the perfect opportunity to serve this saucy chicken over creamy polenta.
Enjoy!
PS
If you like the recipe, if you make the recipe or if you have any new ideas how to improve or change it, let me know in the comments section below or alternatively share your photos and reactions with me on Instagram (@Passionspoon), Facebook or Twitter (@PassionSpoon1). Simply use the hashtag #passionspoonrecipes in your posts. I would love to see them! (wink)
