Balsamic Fig Chicken Breasts with Bacon and Creamy Polenta
This recipe is long overdue. I actually made this back in August after excitedly stumbling upon two pound containers of fresh figs at Trader Joe’s. Thing is, since starting the fall semester our meals have been protein and roasted veggies rather than recipes with any sort of complexity, nor have I had the time to write about them. I’m doubling up for the first time since starting grad school, so I’m taking a full semester independent study along with the standard accelerated eight week course. The independent study is project-based, so I’m co-teaching a four week English/Spanish health program focused on nutrition, physical activity and stress management. Last week was our first class, and I’d joked about the irony of my teaching stress management during what had turned out do be a particularly hectic week, but class turned out to be a huge destresser for me too. We shared experiences, laughter, recipes, dog pictures and cooked black bean and veggie quesadillas. I left feeling so invigorated and reminded how satisfying it is to connect with people on a human level. Even though I went the less “hands-on” route with my career, I think I’ll always want to stay connected through volunteering and getting more involved in our community.
Anyways, it was actually our Takeout Tuesday meal from Food for Life that inspired me to give polenta a go. I can’t believe I’ve never made it before! Although I have made grits, which are essentially the same thing. Anyways, this recipe is simpler than it sounds and doesn’t require very many ingredients. It’s perfect for a dinner party! I made it for our good buddies Maren and KB (aka Grover), and paired it with Courtney’s home brew and this homemade kale caesar as a first course and Trader Joe’s chocolate Bon Bons for dessert!
Balsamic Fig Chicken Breasts with Bacon and Creamy Polenta
Adapted from Sweet Little Kitchen
Ingredients:
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup fresh Mission figs, stemmed and quartered (or more)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 cup polenta
- 3 oz goat cheese (optional)
Instructions:
- Using a medium pot, prepare the polenta according to package instructions. It should take about 30 minutes to cook, approximately the same amount of time as the chicken. Look after it as you prepare the chicken, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking. Stir in the goat cheese at the end, if desired.
- Meanwhile, heat a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon to the pan and cook until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes total. Remove from the pan and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Add chicken to the hot pan and cook until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate. It will not be fully cooked at this point.
- Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan along with onion and garlic. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the onions have begun to soften and turn brown, about 4 minutes. Add the figs and chicken broth and bring to a simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken back into the pan. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.
- The polenta should be ready shortly before the chicken is fully cooked. Stir goat cheese and tablespoon of butter and into the finished polenta and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide it evenly among 4 shallow bowls.
- Transfer the chicken from the pan into 4 bowls with the polenta. Turn the heat back up to medium high. Add the vinegar to the pan and cook to reduce the liquid by half, about two minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Crumble the bacon over the top.
Serves 4 generously
