Chicken Marengo over Lemon Polenta

I have been inspired to cook more these past few days. While cleaning out some files on my computer I found a recipe I had copied from The Noble Pig - a blog I have followed for a few years that is also a winery in Oregon.  I am not sure how long I have had this recipe sitting on my computer but when Eric asked the other day what did I feel like for dinner, I responded let me prepare something.  I put the ingredients I needed on the grocery list for him for that days shopping trip.  ome at 4:45 and dinner was on the table at six.  This really turned out pretty good.  

Chicken Marengo is a savory Italian dish with a sauce of tomatoes, onions and olives, thrown together with some prosciutto and a splash of wine.  The Cheesy Lemon Pepper Polenta was super easy to make and tasted so good.  I could just make a bowl of that some night and enjoy the lemon flavor. 

Quick Chicken Marengo

Adapted from Cuisine at Home and The Noble Pig

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp each kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes

1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, cut into 1-1/2″ chunks

3 ounce prosciutto, diced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups sliced onion

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 can (14.5 ounce) diced tomatoes in juice

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup pitted and chopped Kalamata olives

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Lemon zest

Chopped fresh parsley

Directions

Combine flour, kosher salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes in a plastic bag. (If you are serving to children, I might suggest leaving out the red pepper flakes as it gives it a bit of a spicy kick.) Add chicken and toss to coat with flour mixture; set aside.

Sauté prosciutto in oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until crisp, 5 minutes. Remove prosciutto to a paper-towel lined plate; set aside.

Cook chicken pieces in same sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned on both sides; 2 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a separate plate. (Cut chicken into uniform pieces so they cook at the same rate. For the best browning, be sure the pan is hot before adding the chicken. Place chicken pieces in the saute pan so they aren’t touching each other. You might need to do two separate batches.)

Sauté onion in same sauté pan over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute. Deglaze pan with wine, scraping up bits on bottom of pan, and reduce until evaporated. Add tomatoes, broth and olives; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Return chicken with residual juices and prosciutto to the pan; simmer to thicken stew, 5 minutes. If you want it thicker, you can always dissolve one Tablespoon of cornstarch in 1 Tablespoon of water and add it slowly to the stew. Stir in lemon juice.

Serve stew over Lemon-Pepper Polenta (recipe below). Garnish with lemon zest and parsley.

Cheesy Lemon-Pepper Polenta

Ingredients

2 cups milk

1 cup water

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons minced lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 ounces cream cheese, cubed

Directions

Boil milk and water in a large saucepan. While coming to a boil add in salt, pepper and lemon zest and slowly start adding in cornmeal, whisking constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream cheese until melted.