Saucy Chicken and Sausage over Creamy Parmesan Polenta

By PineyCook

When making this for my whole family, I make a cheese-less polenta since we have some lactose issues. The lack of parmesan doesn't hurt the dish, and those of us who want it sprinkle it on, after the fact.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 (about 6 oz) chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into small bite size pieces
• 2 Italian sausage links, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp hot sauce, I used Frank's
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped for garnish
• For Creamy Parmesan Polenta
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 4 to 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup (8 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Details

Adapted from jocooks.com

Preparation

Step 1

For Saucy Chicken and Sausage:
In a saucepan or a Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until the onion is soft and has become translucent. Add the chicken and sausage to the skillet, season with salt, pepper and oregano. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the chicken and sausage starts to brown.

Stir in the chicken broth or white wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes then add the tomato sauce and hot sauce. Stir in the butter and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary.

Cook for 5 more minutes, remove from heat and garnish with chopped parsley.

For Creamy Parmesan Polenta:
Add the cornmeal and 1 cup of water to a cast iron pot. Place the pot over medium to low heat and whisk. This will ensure there will be no lumps. Let the mixture come to a boil and you'll notice it will start to thicken as the cornmeal absorbs the water. Add another cup of water at a time, whisk and wait until the water has been absorbed. Repeat until you've used 4 to 4½ cups of water and the cornmeal is cooked and doesn't taste raw. You will need to whisk occasionally but there's no need to hover over the pot while it's cooking.

Once the cornmeal is cooked through, remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Serve by plating polenta, then topping it with the chicken and sausage stew.