Friday, November 14, 2008

Chicken with Creamy Polenta and Sauteed Swiss Chard

As I mentioned yesterday, I knew I couldn't just have onions for dinner. A lot of the other Barefoot Bloggers said they would serve their onions with roasted chicken and a few had theirs with salad, but I wanted to do something a little different. I decided to go with a simple sauteed chicken breast. I had some Swiss chard that I needed to use so I found a recipe for sauteed Swiss chard. I wanted a bit more substance to the meal and I have been itching to try Martha's polenta recipe so I thought I would throw that in the mix. This was quite the weeknight dinner, but I got home a little early so I had plenty of time to prepare it...for myself. (wah wah) Anyway, everything came together really well. I do wish I had read the note at the end of the chard recipe that said the chard could be cleaned up to two days in advance. That would have saved me some time since I don't think I cleaned the chard quite as well as I should have. So if you do decide to make this...clean your chard early! I don't know if I will be able to post over the weekend, I will be pretty busy and my computer is still effing up, but I hope you all have a fantastic one and if you are in LA - go to the beach! It's probably the only place that won't be ghastly hot this weekend!





Creamy Polenta
(Adapted from Everyday Food)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal or polenta (not quick-cooking)
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tablespoon butter

In a large saucepan, bring 2 cups water, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper to a boil over high heat. Whisking constantly, very gradually add the cornmeal in a thin strea, whisking until smooth before adding more.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, simmer, whisking often, until thickened about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in cheese and butter until smooth. Serve immediately

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Onions
(Adapted from Epicurious)


1 bunch Swiss chard (about 2 large bunches)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 a medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Cut stems and center ribs from chard, discarding any tough portions, then cut stems and ribs crosswise into 2-inch pieces. This can be done up to 2 days in advance and keep the chard in sealed bag lined with dampened paper towels.

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides, then cook onions and garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add chard, stirring until wilted, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl.

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12 comments:

vanillasugarblog said...

Ohh that looks good. I haven't had polenta in a while. I made these deep fried polenta & cheese sticks. Pretty good.
I can't for the life of me add your blog to my list of 'favorite blogs' on my blog. Very weird.
Anywho, have a good weekend!

Katie said...

Ah, polenta...this looks like a great way to serve it.

Debbie said...

Polenta and chicken....that is so good together!

Joie de vivre said...

That creamy polenta just plates so beautifully. I've never made it before but I think I may need to!

Unknown said...

lovely plating!! i need to make more polenta :) too many things to cook, not enought time!!

Esi said...

Thanks ladies!

Dawn - I finally got my feed transferred to google, so hopefully it works now!

Anonymous said...

Perfection! What a beautiful meal... The polenta looks so comfortingly creamy and your chard looks perfectly, meltingly tender

I hope your computer is doing better. Technology is great when it works and a nightmare when it doesn't!

Heather said...

still cannot get the feed on my followers thing to load. bummer :( Can I say how much I love swiss chard? And polenta? This looks delicious!

Esi said...

Matt, thank you so much. I have a date with Macs Genius Bar tomorrow so hopefully it will work out.

On that note, Heather - I finally migrated my feed so hope it works now!

eatingclubvancouver_js said...

I'd gobble up everything on this plate!

The Blonde Duck said...

I don't think a lot of people could have just onions for dinner!

Paula said...

Oh, Esi, this looks so good. It's 8:00 in the morning right now, and I want to eat this now. *sigh* Polenta is one of my most favorite foods, and I love how you paired it with chicken and swiss chard. YUM!