Crisp Italian Chicken Polenta Food

CRISP ITALIAN CHICKEN & POLENTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Using your fingers, roughly break up the polenta into small chunks and scatter in the bottom of a small roasting tin. Tip in the parmesan and mix. Sit the chicken breasts, cherry tomatoes, rosemary and garlic on top of the polenta, drizzle with olive oil, then season to taste.
• Roast for 25 mins until the chicken skin is crisp and golden, and the polenta and cheese are turning crusty around the edges. Serve with a green salad.

ITALIAN BARBECUED CHICKEN WITH POLENTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Season the chicken liberally with salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and grill seasoning. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet and brown the chicken a few minutes on each side to put some of it's flavor and drippings into the pan then transfer to oven and roast 15 minutes more or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, add 1 more tablespoon olive oil to the pan and cook pancetta or bacon, if using, until crisp. Add onions, garlic and rosemary, cook 5 minutes then add the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup chicken stock, reduce heat to low and let sauce simmer 5 minutes more.
• Bring remaining 1 1/2 cups stock and milk to a boil, whisk in polenta and season with salt and pepper. Whisk polenta 2 to 3 minutes until it thickens, stir in butter and cheese, remove from heat.
• Remove chicken from oven and turn in barbecue sauce. Fill shallow bowls with polenta Top with chicken, spoon extra sauce over chicken and garnish with some torn basil leaves.

CRISPY ITALIAN CHICKEN TOPPED WITH MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk together the flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, beat the egg. Place the panko crumbs into a third bowl.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Dip each chicken tender into the seasoned flour, then into the egg; roll in panko crumbs. Pan fry the chicken tenders until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken pieces to a baking sheet.
• Heat 2 more tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and stir in the tomatoes, garlic, basil, onion, and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer the tomato sauce until it starts to thicken, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of sauce over each chicken piece; top with a half piece of mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes.

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).

CHICKEN RUSTICA OVER POLENTA

Steps:

• Instructions: Brown bacon in large deep pan. Remove bacon, leaving 1-2 T. drippings in pan.
• Dust chicken pieces with flour, salt and pepper. Brown chicken pieces 4 minutes each side in bacon fat; remove to platter when browned both sides.
• Make sauce: Heat oil, add chopped onion; sauté over low heat 6-8 minutes. Add garlic, sauté 2 more minutes.
• Add all other sauce ingredients and mix. Add bacon and browned chicken pieces; gently simmer 30 minutes.
• Add drained beans and simmer 10 more minutes. During this last 10 minutes, make polenta.
• Polenta: combine water and salt in a large glass microwave-safe bowl; whisk in cornmeal. Cover and microwave on HIGH 4 minutes; stir. Uncover and microwave 2 minutes; stir. Microwave 2 more minutes; stir in Parmesan cheese; sprinkle with parsley.
• To serve, spoon polenta in a bowl, then top with chicken and plenty of the chunky sauce. Garnish with parsley.