Mexican Chicken and Polenta

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano or oregano
• 2-3 cups water
• 3 dried ancho peppers, stems removed and seeds shaken out
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 cup uncooked cornmeal, to make polenta
• 1 1/2-2 cups water
• 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1/2 teaspoon Splenda sugar substitute or sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2 medium scallions, sliced (optional)
• 2 sprigs cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. 1

   Place chicken in a large skillet and cover with water; add chopped cilantro, oregano, onion and peeled clove of garlic.

2. 2

   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.

3. 3

   Add ancho peppers to the reserved liquid in pan; cover and soak about 10 minutes (no heat on pan); drain liquid into a bowl.

4. 4

   (Sometimes, I add the whole ancho to the pand and seed after they are softened.) Shred cooled chicken and set aside.

5. 5

   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.

6. 6

   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.

7. 7

   To make polenta, bring water to a boil; add salt.

8. 8

   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.

9. 9

   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).

10. 10

    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.

11. 11

    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.

12. 12

    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).