Cheesy Chicken and Tomato Polenta

As Rachel Ray says... YUM-O!!! This dish is hands-down a crowd pleaser that everyone will devour- and guess what? It only has 4 main ingredients and can be on the table in about 10 minutes! Now that makes me happy! I had some extra chicken that I put aside from my crock pot chicken soup last night and I wanted to keep these really simple tonight so I just whipped up some polenta, added some canned tomatoes and cheese, and DONE!  For those of you who don't know, polenta is essentially just coarsely ground bits of corn, very similar to corn grits.  It's extremely versatile and a great way to change things up from your average rice or pasta. You can buy it dry or in pre-made tubes (which makes things even easier!). I used Bob's Red Mill dry Corn Grits that take about 10 minutes to make, so the cooking time may vary depending on which kind you use. 


This is truly a life-saving recipe for those days when you just don't feel like coming home and cooking an elaborate meal. This dish will make you feel great not only because it's so quick and so easy, but also because you don't have to compromise taste or nutrition to get a meal on the table fast. This is a hearty, delicious and nutritious one-pot meal that you can feel good about serving to your family and friends.  

Cheesy Chicken and Tomato Polenta

Ingredients:
1 cup dry polenta (will vary depending on kind you use)

1 cup organic canned tomatoes

1 cup grated cheese (I used jack cheese for a bit of a kick)

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
(Spinach or broccoli would be really great mixed in also)

Salt/pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the polenta according to the directions on the bag/box. I brought 3 cups water to a boil, added 1 cup polenta, reduced heat and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, then removed from heat, covered and let stand for a couple minutes. This yielded 4 generous helpings of polenta. 

2. Stir in tomatoes, cheese and chicken until cheese is all melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. DONE!