Braised Chicken Thighs and Vegetables with Polenta

Simplify this weekday chicken dinner by oven-roasting an assortment of colorful veggies on the weekend.

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Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
25 mins
Total Time:
40 mins
Servings:
8

Ingredients

  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric

  • teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 16 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total)

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

  • 1 recipe Polenta

  • 3 cup Basic Roasted Vegetables

  • 3 cup torn fresh kale

Polenta

  • 3 cup water

  • 1 cup cornmeal

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup cold water

  • ¼ cup fat-free milk

Basic Roasted Vegetables

  • 1 ¾ pound potatoes or sweet potatoes, peeled, if desired, and cut into 1-inch pieces (5 cups)

  • 2 large onions, coarsely chopped (2 cups), or 2 medium leeks, cut into 1-inch pieces (1 cup)

  • 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)

  • 12 ounce parsnips and/or turnips, cut into 1-inch pieces (3 cups)

  • 1 pound red sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

  • 1 pound yellow sweet peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

  • 1 pound button or cremini mushrooms, halved (quarter large mushrooms) (6 cups)

  • 2 heads garlic, separated into cloves and peeled

  • ½ cup olive oil

  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In a small bowl stir together the oregano, cumin, salt, turmeric, and cayenne. Sprinkle chicken evenly with spice mixture. In a very large nonstick skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes or until browned, turning once. Add broth to skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until chicken is done (at least 170°F). Transfer chicken to a platter; keep warm.

  2. Meanwhile, make Polenta. Add Roasted Vegetables and kale to skillet. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat about 5 minutes or until liquid is slightly reduced and vegetables are hot. Serve chicken and vegetables with Polenta.

Polenta

  1. In a medium saucepan bring the 3 cups water to boiling. In a medium bowl combine cornmeal and salt; stir in the 1 cup cold water. Slowly add cornmeal mixture to boiling water in saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture returns to boiling. Cook, uncovered, over low heat about 5 minutes or until thick and cornmeal is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk.

Basic Roasted Vegetables

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line four 15x10x1-inch baking pans* with foil. Coat foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place potatoes and onions in one prepared pan. Place carrots and parsnips in second prepared pan. Place sweet peppers in third prepared pan. Place mushrooms and garlic in remaining prepared pan. Drizzle olive oil evenly over vegetables in each pan. Toss lightly to coat all the vegetables. Sprinkle all vegetables evenly with salt and pepper.

  2. Place pans with potatoes, onions, carrots, and parsnips in the oven. Roast, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes or until tender and brown on the edges, stirring once. Remove pans from oven and let cool on wire racks.

  3. Place the pan with the sweet peppers in the oven. Roast for 15 minutes. Add the pan with the mushrooms and garlic to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes more or until vegetables are tender, stirring once. Remove pans from oven and let cool on wire racks.

  4. Place cooled vegetables in the desired amounts in airtight containers; cover. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and use in recipes as desired. Makes 15 cups.

If you don't have four 15x10x1-inch pans, you can prepare the vegetables in batches and reuse pans as needed or use disposable foil pans.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

369 Calories
12g Fat
26g Carbs
37g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 369
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g 15%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 161mg 54%
Sodium 529mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 37g
Vitamin C 80.7mg 403%
Calcium 88mg 7%
Iron 2.5mg 14%
Potassium 809mg 17%
Folate, total 50.1mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.8mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.9mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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