Braised Chicken Breast with Polenta, Tomatoes, Capers and Olives

This is a simple, yet delicious and sophisticated dish. Tomato sauce and polenta form a perfect pair. The tomato sauce is the same I make  for all pasta dishes: I peel, seed and crush fresh tomatoes, add a bit of balsamic vinegar to the “soup” and then cook it. When winter comes I’ll have to use the frozen sauce that I made in summer/fall, sad... If you want to skip it note that the instructions for the tomato sauce are in italics.

I am making the polenta with water and salt but if you’d like richer flavors, you can add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and some Parmesan cheese in the end, maybe ½ cup.

Capers and olives bring a special flavor to the tomato sauce complementing the delicate fresh tomato taste, the polenta and the chicken. Today I am serving this dish with spinach and toasted pine nuts. Truly Italian (lots of Italian immigrants in Brazil too).

Searing and simmering the chicken makes it tender and moist.

Braised Chicken Breast with Polenta, Tomatoes, Capers and Olives

4 Servings

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce -

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium tomatoes or 2 cups diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

¼ cup chopped kalamata olives

1 tablespoon capers

Polenta -

1 cup dry polenta

3 1/2 cups water or broth

Kosher salt

Chicken -

4 chicken breasts halves (about 2 lb), skinned and cut in small fillets

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

¼ cup chicken broth

1 small rosemary spring or ½ teaspoon dried, finely chopped

Directions:

Tomato Sauce -

Place a saucepan 3/4 full of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Dip tomatoes that need to be peeled in the boiling water for 1 minute. Remove tomatoes and set aside to cool enough so that you can handle them. Gently pierce, just barely, the skin of the tomatoes with the tip of a sharp knife. Loosen the skin with the knife and peel away. Repeat with all the tomatoes. Cut peeled tomatoes in half lengthwise. Hold tomato half in your hand over a small bowl. Gently squeeze tomato half so that seeds drip into the bowl. Put the seeds and their juice through a strainer. Discard seeds, add the strained juice to the bowl of tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes with your hands leaving big pieces. Add the balsamic vinegar. Stir.

Heat olive oil onion in a medium pan in medium heat. Add onions and cook about 5 minutes, until it’s very soft and tender. Add the garlic and cook another 1 minute, stirring. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add olives and capers. Keep warm.

Polenta -

Boil the water in a medium pan then drizzle the polenta and salt into the swirling water/broth. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for around 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cooking time depends on the type of polenta. Cook until the mix is thick and tender.

Chicken -

While the polenta is cooking, prepare the chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken, cook 3 minutes each side or until browned. Add rosemary, chicken broth. Lower the heat, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes. Check frequently, if liquid is evaporated add a bit more. Serve immediately.

Spoon ¼ of the hot polenta in a dish, top with the chicken and the tomato sauce.

Wilted Spinach and Toasted Pine Nuts

(3 servings)

Ingredients:

10 cups of spinach

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 oz pine nuts (handful)

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a little skillet in medium heat. Add pine nuts. Stir frequently until lightly browned.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add spinach, salt and pepper, and saute just until just wilted. Top with pine nuts and serve immediately.