braised chicken with mushrooms and polenta

i love being pleasantly wrong about food. this dish had "meh" written all over it. but the polenta brilliantly soaks up the broth and it turned out to be delicious in that carb-heavy comfy kind of way!

the pounded chicken breast was actually bought a couple of weeks ago when we had a craving for chicken parm. but no one does it better than gino's so why even bother trying? consequently it remained in freezer limbo until a more interesting idea came along.

so while it might not be the prettiest thing out there (thank goodness for green parsley!), this is the perfect go-to dish for a quick weekday dinner. we enjoyed this with a side of steamed green beans fresh from the farm, because mushrooms really don't count as a vegetable serving do they?? ;-)

braised chicken with mushrooms and polenta: serves 4
adapted from martha's great food fast (2007, p. 201)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
salt + pepper
olive oil
1 lb white mushrooms, sliced 1/2 inch thick (feel free to use other mushrooms)
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tb chopped parsley

1. season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. heat oil in large skillet over high heat. add chicken and cook until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes per side. transfer to plate.

2. heat some more oil in the skillet and add mushrooms, garlic, and salt. cover and cook over medium heat until mushrooms release their juices, about 2-3 minutes. remove lid and cook over high heat, tossing occasionally, until mushrooms are golden, about 4-5 minutes.

3. pour wine into skillet and stir until evaporated. add stock and parsley, cook over medium high heat until liquid has reduced, about 8-10 minutes.

4. return chicken to skillet, cover and simmer over low heat until cooked through, 10-12 minutes. serve cutlets over polenta, topped with mushrooms and broth liquid.

for the polenta: martha has an oven-baked recipe, but i just made regular polenta over the stove top which is basically ... 5 cups salted boiling water, add 8 oz polenta, whisk until it thickens and then take off heat and let stand for 30 minutes. stir in salt, pepper, grated parmesan cheese, butter, milk for desired consistency and taste.