Name: Saucy Chicken and Sausage over Creamy Parmesan Polenta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion (chopped); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 6 oz chicken breast (boneless and skinless, cut into small bite size pieces (about 1 breast)); 2 links Italian sausage (cut into 1 inch pieces); salt and pepper to taste; 1 tsp dry oregano; 1/2 cup chicken broth (low sodium or dry white wine); 1 cup tomato sauce; 1 tbsp hot sauce ((I used Frank's)); 2 tbsp butter (unsalted); 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped for garnish); 1 cup cornmeal; 4 to 4 1/2 cups water; 1 cup Parmesan cheese (grated); 3 tbsp butter (unsalted); 1/4 tsp black pepper

Saucy Chicken and Sausage over Creamy Parmesan Polenta – a true comfort meal if there ever was one. Delicious chicken and sausage in a spicy tomato sauce served over a creamy and cheesy polenta.

Saucy Chicken and Sausage over Creamy Parmesan Polenta on a plate garnished with parsley

I want to first focus on this yummy saucy chicken and sausage stew that I whipped up today. There’s nothing really that goes better with polenta than meat in some tomato sauce. To me this is the kind of comfort food that I grew up with.

In this recipe, I just used some pork sausages, some chicken, onion and garlic. Pretty basic, but lots of flavor. I promise you this dish will make you into a polenta fan if you aren’t already one!

Let’s talk about polenta now, my friends. Polenta is probably known more as an Italian dish that has become extremely popular in North America over the past few years, though Polenta is really popular in most of Europe and has been for a very long time. I grew up eating Polenta, it was a staple in our house.

What Is Polenta?

Polenta is usually made with water and cornmeal. It’s very simple to make a basic Polenta. In Romanian cuisine, “mamaliga” is enjoyed as a bread or mashed potato substitute most of the time.

Italians on the other hand make it a bit differently, instead of water they cook it with milk or cream and they add Parmesan to it. I’m making a basic Polenta today with a bit of butter and Parmesan cheese, to introduce any of you cornmeal newbies to the world of this classic peasant food!

Ingredients

Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Creamy chicken and sausage

Chicken breasts – You can use chicken thighs if you prefer. I like to use skinless and boneless chicken for this recipe.
Sausage – I used 2 Italian sausage links today, feel free to swap these out for hot sausage if you’d like.
Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
Olive oil – Other types of oil such as avocado, coconut, sunflower, or safflower will also work.
Onion – Something that cooks down nicely like white or yellow.
Garlic – Use as much or as little as you like.
Chicken broth – Use low or no sodium broth. Beef or vegetable broth can be used as well.
Butter – I like to use unsalted butter to have control over the sodium content.
Parsley – Fresh parsley adds some nice bright color as a garnish to your finished dish.
Oregano – We’re using dried oregano today as dried herbs are flavor bombs that cook down well without burning or wilting.
Sauces – Hot sauce and tomato sauce to create a deep, dreamy, spicy sauce.

Creamy polenta

Water – One of the main ingredients to making this. Keep in mind the ratio to make the perfect polenta is 4 parts water to 1 part cornmeal.
Butter – Unsalted so that we can control our sodium content.
Cornmeal – The base of our Polenta, the key ingredient in this shining dish.
Seasoning – Pepper just to taste, keep in mind our Parmesan cheese will add quite a bit of saltiness to this dish so we don’t need to add any additional sodium.
Parmesan cheese – We want something nice and sharp. If you have a nice quality block of Parmesan lying around this is the time to use it.

cooking chicken and sausage in a dutch oven

How To Make Saucy Chicken and Sausage over Creamy Parmesan Polenta

Saucy chicken and sausage

Saute the sauteables: In a saucepan or a Dutch oven heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until the onion is soft and has become translucent. Add the chicken and sausage to the skillet, season with salt, pepper and oregano. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the chicken and sausage starts to brown.
Combine the sauce: Stir in the chicken broth or white wine and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2 minutes then add the tomato sauce and hot sauce. Stir in the butter and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary.
Cook for 5 more minutes, remove from heat and garnish with chopped parsley.

making a delicious saucy and spicy chicken and sausage stew in a dutch oven

Creamy Parmesan polenta

Combine the polenta: Add the cornmeal and 1 cup of water to a cast iron pot. Place the pot over medium to low heat and whisk. This will ensure there will be no lumps. Let the mixture come to a boil and you’ll notice it will start to thicken as the cornmeal absorbs the water. Add another cup of water at a time, whisk and wait until the water has been absorbed. Repeat until you’ve used 4 to 4 1/2 cups of water and the cornmeal is cooked and doesn’t taste raw. You will need to whisk occasionally but there’s no need to hover over the pot while it’s cooking, just make sure it’s over low heat.
Finish the dish: Once the cornmeal is cooked through, remove from heat and stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve by plating polenta, then topping it with the chicken and sausage stew.

making polenta with butter and parmesan cheese in an orange dutch oven

Do I Have To Use Chicken Breast?

You can use chicken thighs, drumsticks, or wings if you like. Chicken drumsticks will need a little longer to cook, so make sure to watch for that.

What Else Can I Use In My Saucy Chicken and Sausage?

If you’d like to clear out that pantry, try adding some of these:

Mushroom
Peas
Corn
Bell peppers

Tips For Making The Best Polenta

One thing I learned from my mom over the years, while watching her make “mamaliga” is that the secret to this is whisking constantly. You don’t want a lumpy polenta, you want it to be nice and smooth.
The Polenta will be done once it pulls cleanly away from the pot, so keep stirring till then!
One way I grew up eating it is with layers of feta cheese and bacon, you can find the recipe for that here. It makes a wonderful snack, a great appetizer idea or even as a side dish.

How To Serve

If you’d like to bulk up this dish with a little bit of veg I sure won’t try to stop you! Here’s some picture perfect accompaniments.

Storing Leftovers

Fridge

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in for 3 to 5 days.

Freezer

Freeze in an airtight container for 1 to 2 months. Allow the dish to thaw in the fridge over night when ready to feast.

Craving More Chicken? Try These Delicious Dishes:

Comments

Marisa Mirviss says

March 4, 2020 at 10:18 pm

This was a great way to use up veggies and tomato sauce leftover from pasta night. I used Andouille sausage, which was tasty, but not as rich as italian sausage would have been. I added paprika (in hommage to my Hungarian/Italian Grandmother) and used a tablespoon of harissa instead of hot sauce. It was excellent, and fast, and easy, and a great alternative to pasta night. Happiness in a bowl.

I’m going to try this in a dutch oven with coals when I’m camping, layering the polenta, then the stew, then parmesean on top and bake it all together. Yummy!

Carol @ The Urban Tropic Blog says

December 12, 2019 at 4:28 pm

Yummo! This looks great, I’m salivating as I read it Jo 😊
Going to cook this on the weekend, I’m craving comfort food – thank you for all your delicious recipes.