POLENTA WITH SPINACH, CHICKEN AND PESTO

With a little planning, you can prepare amazing meals without having to cook from scratch. Do you have roast chicken left over or made chicken broth? Use the breast for this recipe. Do you have pesto in the fridge? It gives an extra perfume to the preparation. The result is a special dinner.

INGREDIENTS

1 chicken breast fillet (about 250 g)

1 onion

Strips of peel of 1 lemon

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

PREPARATION MODE

Cut the onion in half, peel and attach the bay leaf skewers with the cloves in one of the halves – reserve the rest of the onion in the refrigerator (in a tightly closed jar or bag) for another recipe.

In a medium saucepan, place the chicken fillet, the studded onion and the lemon strips. Cover with water and bring to high heat – the fillet should be completely immersed, about 1,250 liters is enough. Let it cook for 2 minutes after boiling, turn off the heat and keep the chicken in the pan with hot water for another 5 minutes – so it cooks without getting dry. Meanwhile, take the time to wash the spinach.

With a tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate and shred the hot steak with two forks. Reserve 3 cups (tea) of the chicken cooking broth – it will be used in the preparation of the polenta.

NOTE: if you want to use a cooked chicken breast or leftover shredded chicken, consider 1 ½ cup (tea) for the recipe.

FOR THE POLENTA

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup (tea) of instant polenta

½ cup (tea) of spinach leaves

3 cups of chicken cooking broth

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup (tea) of grated parmesan cheese

½ cup (tea) of pesto sauce

½ teaspoon of salt

Basil leaves to serve

Roasted and chopped walnuts to serve

Parmesan cheese to serve

PREPARATION MODE

Highlight the leaves of the spinach stalks and wash under running water. Transfer to a bowl, cover with water and add the bactericide of your choice. Soak for 15 minutes.

Mix 3 tablespoons of pesto sauce in the shredded chicken, still hot and set aside.

Remove the spinach leaves from the bowl instead of draining – so that any dirt remains on the bottom of the bowl. Rinse under running water.

Bring a medium saucepan with the chicken cooking broth over high heat. When boiling, season with ½ teaspoon of salt and add the polenta gradually, stirring with a wire whisk to avoid lumps. Stir for 2 minutes until the polenta is creamy. Attention: the cooking time of the instant polenta may vary depending on the brand; if necessary let it cook for a few more minutes.

Turn off the heat, add the butter, the Parmesan cheese, the spinach leaves and mix well – the spinach will cook in the heat of the polenta.

Serve the polenta in 3 dishes, arrange a portion of the shredded chicken, drizzle with pesto sauce to taste and sprinkle with basil leaves, nuts and Parmesan cheese. For an even more neat presentation, add polenta tiles to the dishes.