Sicilian-Style Chicken & Polenta

📝 Ingredients

• 600 g chicken breasts (about 4 fillets)
• 1 brown onion (about 120 g) + 2 garlic cloves
• 1 red pepper (about 200 g)
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes (400 g each)
• 80 g pitted black olives
• 2 tbsp drained capers (20 g)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 240 g instant polenta (quick-cook)
• 500 ml semi-skimmed milk + 500 ml water
• 40 g grated Parmesan
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Large saucepan
• Large sauté pan
• Whisk
• Baking dish of about 20 × 25 cm + baking paper
• 4 airtight containers
• Wooden spoon

📖 Steps

1. Start with the polenta, which needs to cool. Line the dish with baking paper. In the large saucepan, bring the milk, water and 1 tsp salt to a simmer over a medium heat, keeping an eye on it so the milk doesn't boil over.
2. Pour in the polenta in a stream, whisking constantly to avoid lumps, then cook for 5 min over a low heat (or the time on the packet), stirring with a wooden spoon: it thickens quickly and bubbles, so watch out for splashes.
3. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan and season with pepper. Immediately spread the polenta in the dish to about 2 cm thick, smooth with the back of a wet spoon and leave to cool for 30 min: it will firm up and cut easily.
4. Meanwhile, cut the chicken into 3 cm cubes and season lightly with salt. Slice the onion, chop the garlic and cut the pepper into strips, removing the seeds and white membranes. Halve the olives.
5. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the sauté pan over a high heat and sear the chicken for 4 min, stirring, until browned on all sides (it isn't cooked through yet). Set aside on a plate.
6. In the same sauté pan, over a medium heat, add the rest of the oil, the onion and pepper. Fry for 7 min until soft, add the garlic for 1 min, then the tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for 10 min over a low-medium heat.
7. Return the chicken and its juices, add the olives and capers, then simmer for 8 min over a low heat, until the chicken is white all the way through and the sauce is thick. Taste before adding salt: the capers and olives are already salty. Season with pepper.
8. Cut the polenta into 4 rectangles and divide between the containers with the chicken in sauce. Leave to cool uncovered, for no more than an hour, before closing and storing in the fridge, where the containers keep for 4 days.
9. To serve, reheat a container with the lid ajar for 2 to 3 min in the microwave. For crispy polenta, first brown it for 3 min per side in a very hot non-stick frying pan, without any fat, before placing it on the chicken.