My weeknight concoction – Chicken Pot Pie with Polenta

For tonights dinner, I searched the refrigerator and found some ears of fresh corn and a half roasted chicken so I decided to create a Chicken Pot Pie with Polenta. I used the vegetables I had on hand, carrots, green onion and sweet baby peppers along with the leftover chicken and some frozen peas to make a base for the pie. Instead of a crust I decided on a topping, so I removed the corn from the cobs and simmered the kernels in water to create polenta. 

All in all, it turned out to be a pretty simple process and didn’t take more than a half hour to put together.  Then a few minutes under the broiler and viola!

CHICKEN POT PIE WITH POLENTA

Serves 2 (can be easily doubled or tripled)

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn, shucked and cleaned
• 1 cup shredded gruyere cheese (save 1 tbsp to sprinkle before broiling)
• 3 Tbsp butter, separated
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked roast chicken
• 2 tsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 3 green onions, sliced white and light green parts only
• 4 baby sweet peppers chopped (or 1/2 bell pepper – any color)
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

Directions

1. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs and place in a medium saucepan with just enough water to cover. Simmer for 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove cooked kernels to food processor and add just enough of the cooking liquid to puree to a somewhat smooth texture.  Reserve the rest of the cooking liquid until you are sure you won’t need any more and return the puree to the pan. Cook over medium heat until you reach a somewhat thick consistency adding cooking liquid as needed. Add 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, the gruyere cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. In a medium fry pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and cook onion, carrots and peppers over medium heat until tender. You may need to cover the pan for a bit to get the carrots to tenderize. In another small saucepan, melt the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp butter and whisk in the four. Cook for a minute or two until blended and lightly golden. Add chicken broth, whisking to blend and cook until somewhat thickened. Add cream, tarragon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add shredded chicken and mix. Add cooked vegetables and frozen peas and cook until heated through stirring occasionally.
3. Pour chicken mixture into small individual casseroles or ramekins. Top with polenta and sprinkle the reserved Tbsp gruyere on top and broil for several minutes until lightly toasted on top. The polenta will remain moist with the texture of a puree, not like a crust. The flavors marry well together with the chicken/vegetable cream sauce to create a tasty dish.

I used 3 smaller casserole dishes as we had a guest for dinner. This recipe makes two entree size portions or three – four tapas size portions.

(Printable recipe can be found in my recipe index under main entrees)