Polenta Crusted Chicken and green salad

I was inspired by Giada de Laurentiis, for this next recipe. She made a Polenta Crusted Shrimp that looked crunchy and delicious, but I decided to use chicken instead. Think exotic chicken fingers. The recipe worked great and the flavors and crunch were all there. I am happy with Giada's recipes as always. The only thing is that you must be prepared for the crunch of polenta in this recipe. My favorite pizzas have lose polenta, or "cornmeal" at the bottom, so I love the crunch hearty taste of polenta. I'm a texture fanatic. I heard a tip from Giada to add some polenta to biscotti for added crunch I will have to try! If you're not a big polenta fan you can substitute for breadcrumbs.

I also retailored the Mustard and Herb Mayo Giada made to adapt it into a dressing for the salad. Both the chicken and dressing recipes were so simple, mess-free, and required little work on the chopping board. It also fills you up pretty good and makes a great lunch for the next day. I hope you enjoyed Giada's recipe as much as I did. I adapted both recipes to make them a bit lighter, and cut down on the portions a little. If you would like to see Giada's original recipe, click here.

Polenta Crusted Chicken

• 1 1/2 lb chicken breast
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 egg beaten + 1 T water
• 3/4 cup polenta
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2-4 Tablespoon olive oil
• more salt to taste

Preheat oven to 475 F

1. Cover a baking pan with parchment paper. It will work better than aluminum foil that I used. It got stuck.

2. Prepare the chicken coating station. In one pan or bowl place the flour, salt, and pepper. In the next bowl, place a lightly beaten egg and water. In the last pan, place the polenta, paprika, and dried thyme.

3. Dip the chicken in the flour, egg, then polenta. Shake off the excess in each step.

4. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil.

5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until juices run clear and polenta a little browned.

Dijon Mayo for salad or dip

• 3/4 cups light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup light sour cream
• 1 tablespoon Dijon
• 1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

• 1/2 head romaine lettuce or half a bag
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• handful cherry tomatoes

1. Combine all ingredients except the lettuce.

2. If you would like to make the salad, in a large bowl place 1 1/2 Tablespoons of the mayonnaise mixture. Add the olive oil. Mix to combine. Then, add 1/2 head chopped romaine lettuce and mix until dressing coats all leaves. Add in tomatoes. Use a pepper mill to crack some fresh pepper and add a few drops more of lemon if desired.

For Polenta Crusted Chicken and green salad Nutrition Facts, please visit Shape Up America!

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