Arugula Polenta With Chicken
The September/October issue of Clean Eating magazine is out, and there are a bunch of good recipes to try. Are you familiar with this magazine? With “clean eating” as a concept? From the magazine: “The soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life – one meal at a time.” Sage words, folks!
I like their lack of hype and their focus on good nutrition and exercise, but I gotta say, this publication is poorly edited. I find typos in every issue, and some of the recipes aren’t quite right – for instance, the one I highlight here doesn’t tell you to put any sort of oil/cooking spray in your skillet before you try to cook your chicken breasts . . . that could lead to bad things. So consider this a little “buyer beware” warning from your friendly neighborhood hausfrau.
Last night, I decided to satisfy my husband’s desire for “a little more meat” with a chicken dish from the issue – it was a solid recipe, despite the lack of a little grease, but you know me – I couldn’t leave it alone. I tweaked it and this is what I came up with:
Arugula Polenta With Chicken
4 (6-oz.) chicken breasts 3 3/4 c. chicken broth 1 t. bottled crushed garlic Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 1/2 c. polenta 4 c. arugula, coarsely chopped 1/2 c. nonfat Greek yogurt 1 c. grape tomatoes, roughly chopped
Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with salt & pepper. Spray a large skillet with vegetable oil cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink in the middle, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate, tent with foil and let rest.
Meanwhile, put broth in a medium saucepan with garlic. Bring to a boil, then add the polenta slowly, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Return to a boil, and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly until polenta is tender and the consistency reaches that of loose mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and stir in arugula and yogurt. Cover to keep warm ’til you’re ready to plate the meal.
Cut each chicken breast on a diagonal into approximately 1/2-inch slices. Divide the polenta among 6 shallow bowls, top with chopped tomatoes and chicken, and serve.
Serves 6.
I steamed up some green beans to serve as a side – despite the polenta, it was a quick fix – 30 minutes from counter to table!
© 2009, Sarah. All rights reserved.
