Chicken with Vegetable Ragout and Polenta

This sounds really fancy, but it's actually a really easy dish that everyone will love. Vegetarians can just remove the chicken and cut down on the cooking time.

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Chicken with Vegetable Ragout and Polenta

Recipe courtesy Sandra Lee and Foodnetwork, 2008
Cook Time: 5 hr 0 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients
* 3 cups frozen primavera vegetable medley (recommended: Birds Eye)
* 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (recommended: McCormick)
* 1 (14-ounce) jar pasta sauce
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
* 1/4 cup dry sherry
* 1 (24-ounce) tube pre-made polenta, sliced 1/2-inch thick (recommended: Gennaro)
* Grated Parmesan, for garnish

Directions

Combine frozen vegetable medley in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Place chicken on top of vegetables.

In a large bowl, stir together pasta sauce, tomato paste, garlic and sherry. Pour 2/3 of the sauce over chicken and vegetables. Top the chicken with polenta slices and cover with remaining sauce. Cover and cook on the LOW setting for 4 to 5 hours.

Serve hot with Parmesan.

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Easy, right? But it take a long time. Here are my modifications:
I was short on time, so I used my deepest, biggest pan on the stove top. I only had 4 chicken breasts, which I browned in the pan for about 5 minutes with some olive oil. Then I dumped the vegetable, tomato sauce, spice mixture over the chicken and layered the polenta on top of everything. I cooked it, covered, on low heat for an hour and then high heat for about 10 minutes to get it piping hot. It turned out to need a little more salt and pepper, but the sauce was good, the chicken was moist and tender, and the polenta was creamy. It didn't last long. ;)

Hey did you notice the sun? I think we're finally seeing some summer and it's time to talk BBQ! Look for my next entry on how to make your BBQ sing!

Happy Eating in the Sun,

Your Nerd

Brendan's Favorite #1

The nerd I cook for is my boyfriend. He is always very positive about my cooking ("it's only a little overcooked!"), but he does have his favorites. This is his favorite from this week. It's a slightly sweet sauce that pairs well with a savory ravioli and white wine. The recipe is courtesy of Tyler Florance and Foodnetwork.com.

Butternut Squash Sauce with Sage

Ingredients

* 1 large butternut squash, about 1 1/2 pounds (Trader Joe's has pre-cut squash)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 shallots, minced
* Salt and pepper
* 1 bay leaf
* Pinch ground nutmeg
* 6 fresh sage leaves, cut in thin strips
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano
* Chopped chestnuts, for garnish

Directions

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise to remove the seeds and strings. Peel the skin using a paring knife and cut the squash into small cubes.

Place the olive oil and shallots in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the shallots begin to color, add the squash and season with salt and pepper. Saute a few minutes to lightly caramelize the surface of the cubes. Add the bay leaf, nutmeg, sage, and chicken broth. Cover the pan and cook until the squash is tender but still holding its shape, about 8 minutes.

Puree the sauce with a standard or immersion blender and serve with potato gnocchi or your favorite ravioli. I didn't puree the sauce when I fixed it. I just left it chunky and it was just fine. I think it might have been better pureed, but Brendan thought it was still awesome chunkified. Top with grated cheese and chopped chestnuts before serving. If desired, fry some sage and shallots in olive oil to garnish.

Alcohol pairing: This dish goes well with any type of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

If you try it out, let me know what you think and what you paired it with. Happy eating!

<3, your Nerd