Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Oven-Baked Polenta

This chicken recipe is similar to a chicken marsala recipe that I make (although I haven't put it on the blog yet), but serving it with polenta makes it quite unique. If you have never had polenta before, it is kindof like a creamy cornbread, in fact, that is basically what it is. I thought it was a nice change from serving rice or potatoes as the side to chicken.

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms and Oven-Baked Polenta
Recipe from Everyday Foods Great Food FastPictures by Caroline
Serves 4

Chicken Recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced ½ inch thick
4 garlic cloves, halved
½ cup dry white wine (optional)
1 ¾ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
Oven-Baked Polenta (recipe below)

1. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken; cook until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the hot skillet. Add the mushrooms, garlic and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cover; cook over medium heat until the mushrooms release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the lid. Cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Pour the wine, if using, into the skillet; cook, stirring, until evaporated, 1 minute. Add the stock and parsley; cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are tender and the liquid has reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Cover; simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve the cutlets and polenta topped with the mushrooms and a drizzle of cooking liquid. Garnish with additional fresh parsely.

Oven-Baked Polenta

¾ cup cornmeal
Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
¼ cup milk
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp fresh marjoram (or ¼ tsp dried)

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. In a lidded baking dish, whisk together 3 cups water, the cornmeal, 1 ¼ teaspoons salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cover, and bake for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
2. Remove from the oven, and add the milk, butter, and marjoram, and whisk briskly until smooth. Serve immediately.

3 comments:

Jessie said...

I made this for dinner tonight. CJL will not touch mushrooms ("It is a fungus, not a food."), so I substituted them for carrots. I had never made polenta before; actually, I'm not sure I've ever eaten it before. With some of the chicken broth as a sauce, it tasted good. I noted that the consistency was akin to CTRL's rice cereal. Before too long, we should be able to add polenta to her diet.

Chris said...

Have you made polenta often? Could I mix in canned corn to give it a little more texture?

two little chefs said...

Chris:

I think it would probably be pretty good with the corn in it. I think if might make for a more interesting flavor. Let us know if you try it and how it turns out.

Caroline

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