Mexican-Style Chicken with Ancho Pepper and Roasted Garlic Sauce on Crispy Polenta
2
Points®
Total time: 50 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 30 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy
This traditional Mexican-inspired dish is deliciously different. We love the use of polenta in place of tortillas.


Ingredients
Cooked skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 pound(s)
Cilantro
⅛ oz, fresh, plus more for garnish (about 2 sprigs)
Garlic
4 clove(s), large, not peeled
Dried ancho pepper
2 pepper(s), stems removed and seeds shaken out
Canned tomato sauce
½ cup(s)
Cumin seeds
½ tsp(s)
Uncooked unenriched white cornmeal
½ cup(s), to make polenta
Table salt
½ tsp(s)
Radishes
6 medium, red, sliced
Uncooked scallions
2 medium, sliced
Instructions
1
Place chicken in a single layer in a large nonstick skillet and cover with water. Add cilantro sprigs and 1 clove of garlic. Cook chicken breasts over medium heat until no longer pink in centre, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and let cool; reserve liquid.
2
Shred cooled chicken and set aside. Pour reserved cooking liquid into a bowl and add ancho peppers. Cover and soak peppers about 10 minutes.
3
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add remaining garlic cloves and roast in pan, turning frequently, until blackened in spots. Remove to a small bowl and when cool enough to handle, peel garlic.
4
Place peppers, garlic, tomato sauce and cumin in jar of a blender and blend on high until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Pour mixture into a saucepan, add chicken and heat through.
5
To make polenta, bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil; add salt. Slowly add cornmeal, stirring until smooth, about 6 to 8 minutes.
6
Coat a 9 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray and pour polenta into pan. Smooth with a spatula. Allow polenta to firm up, about 1 to 2 minutes. Cut into 4 slices and remove from pan. Place polenta slices in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray. Cook on both sides until crispy, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.
7
To serve, place one slice of polenta on a plate and top with 3/4 cup of chicken mixture. Garnish with cilantro, radishes and scallions.
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