Shredded Barbecue Chicken with Grits

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup hickory smoke-flavored barbecue sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon ground ancho chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/4 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:
Sprinkle chicken with pepper; place in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup broth, barbecue sauce, molasses, chili pepper and cinnamon; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Shred meat with two forks and return to the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring water and remaining broth to a boil. Slowly stir in grits and pumpkin. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted.

Divide grits among six serving bowls; top each with 1/2 cup chicken mixture. Serve with tomato, sour cream, green onions and cilantro.

Comments:
Adapted this one a little for what I had around. Left out the cinnamon and pumpkin, used cheddar instead of pepperjack, omitted the tomato and cilantro. Overall not too bad. Adam thought it would make a good sandwich.

Grilled Sliced Chicken with Cheesy Polenta

From Everday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 poblano chiles
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO ), for drizzling
4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
A handful cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (hot) or sweet smoked paprika (not), about 2/3 palmful
About 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Over an open flame or in the broiler, char the poblanos until blackened all over, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos.

Preheat a griddle pan or large skillet over medium-high heat; drizzle with a little EVOO. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. In a microwavable bowl, soften 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave for a few seconds on high. Add half of the cilantro or parsley, the rosemary, the chile powder or paprika and the oregano.

While the chicken cooks, heat a drizzle of EVOO in a saucepan. Add the corn and heat through for a couple of minutes. Add the charred poblano, stir in the milk and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese.

Slice the hot chicken on the diagonal, then dollop with the spicy butter. Spoon some polenta underneath or alongside the sliced chicken.

Comments:
I cooked the chicken in the George Foreman (because I forgot to thaw it. Whoops) and skipped the butter, but otherwise stuck to the plan. The chicken was nothing special, but the polenta was awesome. Some extra texture from the corn, some spice from the poblano, and cheese.

Creamy Polenta with Sauteed Vegetables

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
8 large shiitake mushrooms (6 oz), stemmed and sliced
1 10oz package frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp + 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups water
1 cup instant polenta
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the peas and cook 1 minute. Add the vermouth, bring to a boil, and cook until it reduces slightly, about 1 minute. Stir in the pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, to prepare the polenta, combine the water and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Stirring constantly, gradually add the polenta in a slow, steady stream; reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until thick but not stiff, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan.

3. Divide the polenta on each of 4 serving plates and top with the vegetable mixture.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 5

Comments:
In my opinion, mushrooms and peas do not "sauteed vegetables" make. Boring! So I added a few things to this one. I did use mushrooms (which I picked out of my serving) and used fresh sugar snap peas rather than frozen. I also threw in a small zucchini, a small yellow squash, a red and a green pepper, and some broccoli. Now THAT is a vegetable mixture.

Of course, all this revamping meant I had to cook the veggies longer. I actually pre-cooked the broccoli a little. I also used chicken stock rather than vermouth. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well for my altering the recipe so drastically. And it was all vegetables, so it's not like it could be that much worse for you than the original recipe...

Polenta-Topped Pork Patties

From Everyday With Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup instant polenta
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, season with salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; reserve the skillet.

2. In a small saucepan, bring 2 1/3 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. Whisk in the polenta, lower the heat to medium-low and whisk until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream, remove from the heat, then stir in the cheese; season with salt and pepper and keep warm.

3. Preheat the broiler. Add the pork and parsley to the onion; shape into four 4-inch-wide patties. In the reserved skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, turning once, until browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Spoon the polenta on top and broil until golden, about 5 minutes.

Comments:
Not too complicated, although the polenta was a lot runnier than I expected so it didn't quite turn out as pretty as it should have. The bland, kind of creamy flavor of the polenta was nicely offset by the pork burger. I'm not a fan of pork, but this was ok. Not sure it will stay on the rotation, but not a total disaster either.