Italian chicken, polenta and roasted vegetables

Some of my favorite meals feature polenta. It takes some attention and time to make but you can put together the rest of the meal while it simmers.
Polenta:
4 1/2 cups boiling water
whisk in 1 cup stone ground cornmeal and 1 teaspoon salt
Turn the heat to low and continue to whisk. Make sure the mixture bubbles very slowly. Stir gently and fairly often. Cook for 35-40 minutes. Take off the heat and add 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir to combine. You can add cheese to the polenta at this point if you wish. I usually don't add cheese because the dish is already rich.

I like to serve some type of "soupy" casserole over the polenta.


As the polenta cooks, I put some frozen vegetables (any kind you like) on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and toss them with olive oil and salt. I put them in the oven to cook along with the casserole. Make sure to cook them until they are tender and crispy on the edges.

To make the Italian Chicken:

cut 1 1/2 - 2 pounds boneless chicken into cubes.

add 1 can of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup grated asiago cheese

a sprinkle of dried Italian seasoning
Place all the ingredients into a casserole dish and toss to combine. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Sprinkle another 1/2 cup asiago cheese over the top and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Serve the casserole by spooning it over the polenta and place the roasted vegetables on the side.