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Creamy Garlic Corn Chicken with Cheesy Polenta. A delicious bowl of late summer comfort food. Chicken and corn cooked in butter with spices and garlic, then finished with cream to create a creamy, spicy sauce. Simple quick cooking polenta that’s perfectly buttery and swirled with sweet gouda cheese. Together you’ve got a flavorful and delicious meal that’s made quick and suitable for any night of the week.
Really working from the mobile office this week! I’m currently in the Chicago airport and when you read this, I will be in New York, but heading home to Colorado today! I love traveling, but I love heading home too. Although I think I could have stayed another day in New York, I love it here!
Hoping the weather is starting to clear up a bit at home. When I left we were still having a lot of heavy afternoon storms. I’m ready for those late summer sunny days!
With it already being mid-August, corn is very plentiful. So, as I hinted on Monday, I have plenty of new recipes coming with this end-of-summer produce!
And I love this recipe. Funny enough this recipe idea came from a seafood dish I made recently with polenta. I haven’t been using polenta as much lately, but that recipe brought it back into rotation.
We love polenta. But while I love the polenta used in this recipe, it’s more about the chicken, corn, and creamy sauce!
Here are the details
The polenta needs a little more time cook, so we’ll start here!
You need lots of butter and quick-cooking polenta. Regular polenta works too, but quick-cooking is well, quicker!
Start by warming the milk until it is steaming, then whisk in the polenta. The key with polenta is to stir it for five minutes until it gets creamy, then cover. With this dish, before you cover I like to add cheese and butter. Creamy, sweet gouda is my favorite cheese here, but parmesan or a sharp cheddar would be nice too.
Now cover the polenta and let it finish cooking while you start on the chicken and corn.
For the chicken, I like it to be a little on the crispy side. To achieve this, I toss it with cornstarch before cooking, then pan-sear the chicken in butter with cajun seasonings until browned. I love to make my own homemade cajun spice mix, but if you’re in a pinch, store-bought works too.
When the chicken has browned, add the corn, garlic, and fresh thyme. Then stir in the cream and let the sauce warm through. Add a little lemon zest and basil to finish. It takes maybe five or ten minutes from start to finish – tops.
Simple, but so much flavor from all the spices, garlic, and lemony butter pan sauce.
Finish it up
I plate the polenta first, usually in a low pasta bowl. Then spoon the chicken, corn, and sauce over the polenta. Since we have so many fresh herbs right now, I top the bowl with plenty of fresh basil. Then serve with crusty bread and a big arugula salad from the garden.
So quick and simple – so delicious.
As I mentioned earlier, the chicken is the main flavor here, but the polenta completes it. It rounds out the meal and adds another layer of comfort to the dish. I think you’ll all love it!
Looking for other summer recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Pesto Polenta
Garlic Parmesan Herb Butter Polenta Fries with Lemon Aioli
Zucchini Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Garlic Corn Chicken with Cheesy Polenta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Garlic Corn Chicken with Cheesy Polenta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 610 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Polenta
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 1/2 cup gouda cheese, or grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- kosher salt and black pepper
Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cups raw corn kernels
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the polenta. In a medium pot, add 2 cups water and the milk. Bring to a low boil, then whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta is soft and thick, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan, butter, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat off, cover the pot, and let the polenta sit 5 minutes.2. Meanwhile, make the chicken. Toss the chicken with the cornstarch. 3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, chicken, 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, and a big pinch of pepper. Cook 5-minutes, until browned. Stir in the corn, garlic, and thyme and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. 4. Pour in the cream and stir in 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning. Cook 1-2 minutes to warm through, adding water or additional cream to thin the sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and basil.5. Spoon the polenta into bowls, then spoon the chicken and creamy corn sauce over the polenta. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Cajun Seasoning: mix 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Makes 3/4 cup.
This post was originally published on August 10, 2022
I made this tonight! Easy and SO flavorful. I used Smoked Gouda in the polenta and it really complimented the Cajun seasoning. Delish!
Hi Jodi,
Amazing! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a winner! xx
Phenomenal! I love everything about this! Made this tonight for dinner, followed recipe exactly as written.
Thanks Tieghan!
Hi Keely,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xx
Wow! We really loved this recipe and will definitely be trying it again!
Hey Sarah,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xx
Made this tonight with shrimp instead (pescatarian) and absolutely LOVED it!! Great balance of flavors and makes me excited to eat the rest. Thank you!
Hey Sarah,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! xx
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious and we enjoyed all the local corn and fresh herbs from our garden. I will make this again.l had to substitute polenta with rice as l was unable to find it in our stores so will order on line.Thanks Tieghan for your awesome recipes and videos make a huge difference.
Hey Lauren,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! Happy Monday! xx
I’m a little confused. The written instructions are different from the measurements above it. You say add the milk and water but the measurement just say 2 c milk?! Help lol! Is it two cups milk and one cup water?
Hi Erin,
You can follow the instructions as written with 2 cups milk and 2 cups of water. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Made this tonight and we loved it. Your recipes are always on point!
Hey Fred,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was a hit! xT
This was really good; husband and I went back for seconds. I made the polenta with unsweetened almond milk for the milk portion. And I used coconut milk for the dairy in the chicken part of the recipe.
Hi Melanie,
Amazing! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! Have a great Monday! xTieghan
Fixed this for dinner tonight. Very tasty and filling. The 1 Tbsp. of Cajun seasoning was plenty for me. More would have been too spicy. My family thought it would also be good with shrimp.
I read the other comments and noticed some of you were having trouble getting polenta. I did too, but found a bag from Bob’s Red Mill that says Corn Grits also known as Polenta on the bag, so went with that.
Hey Teri,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! I love to hear that it was enjoyed! ☀️
I have substituted grits for when my store doesn’t have polenta (which has been hit or miss since covid). My husband doesn’t even notice, as long as it tastes good!
Thanks so much for sharing Michelle!
They don’t sell dry polenta in my stores. Just the wet stuff in a plastic tube. What can I do as substitute instructions?
Hey Jay,
I would just follow the instructions on the tube and add some cheese at the end to melt through:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Tieghan, there are no instructions for the polenta in a tube – that’s the kind you just slice and pan fry. It’s already cooked! You can’t “water it down” or melt it by cooking it.
I would suggest to this person if they can’t find DRIED polenta in their store, to substitute corn grits.
I’m sure there’s got to be some type of heating instructions on the tube:)
This was delicious! I thought I had polenta in the pantry, but when I didn’t, I used quinoa instead. I plan to try again with the polenta then substitute the chicken for tofu for a vegetarian meal.
Hey Judith!
Happy Saturday!! Thanks a lot for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Really excited to make this! Did I miss how much water you use for the polenta? Thanks ?
Hey Kelly,
You are going to use 2 cups of water in step 1 for the polenta. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
So easy and flavorful!!! Love these flavors together. Just be mindful of how spicy your Cajun seasoning is and start out with less than what the recipe calls for . Can always add more if needed
Hey Ellen,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xxT
Fantastic recipe. I added fresh cherry tomatoes and that worked well. So good!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xxT
Made for dinner tonight and loved it. I don’t eat meat, so I substituted roasted cauliflower for the chicken (still with the Cajun seasoning) and it was amazing! Such an easy, and delicious, meal!
Hey Michelle,
Happy Friday! Thanks a ton for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was a hit! Such a great idea to use the cauliflower. ?Tieghan