Polenta Rounds with Pesto Chicken & Roasted Red Peppers

Have you ever had pan-fried polenta? It’s funny, every time I make this easy appetizer, polenta gains new fans. It’s usually something that my guests have never had, or at least not in this way. It all started when was avoiding gluten. I found that when I went to parties, my only real options were either the crudite or the chips and dip. Both fine options, but these Polenta Rounds with Pesto Chicken & Roasted Red Peppers are better – I promise. And once you see how easy it is to make them, you’ll be dreaming up all kinds of toppings for your pan-fried polenta.

What is polenta?

Polenta is made from cornmeal and has origins in Italy. The only real difference between polenta and cornmeal is that polenta is more coarsely ground, giving it more texture and interest than cornmeal. It is usually served in its creamy, porridge-like consistency and used in place of pasta as a base for meats or seafood.

For this festive appetizer, we use polenta that comes in a tube. Instead of cooking it down with some water or broth to get the creamy consistency, we are keeping it in its tubular shape and simply slicing it into circles. These little circles will make the base for our pesto chicken.

How to make these Polenta Rounds

To keep things super low fat, you can simply use nonstick cooking spray to pan fry your polenta. Of course, a little olive oil in the pan will add flavor, but you can leave it out if you’re watching calories. The pesto chicken has plenty of flavor to go around. The easiest way from A to B is to grab a jar of premade pesto, but if you have an extra 10 minutes, make my Basil Pesto Sauce. You won’t need it all for this recipe so you can save the rest for future use.

How to make the Pesto Chicken

The easiest way to make the pesto chicken is to buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it with a fork. Alternately, you can roast plain chicken breasts in the oven, or even boil them in water or chicken broth. Rotisserie chicken is what I usually go for. It’s just so easy.

The roasted red pepper adds a pop of color and makes this appetizer very Christmasy with the red and green. If you’re not a big roasted reds fan, try dicing up a few sundried tomatoes and sprinkling them on top. While you make these Polenta Rounds with Pesto Chicken & Roasted Red Peppers, I’ll be brainstorming on some other fun ways to top polenta rounds. Enjoy!

Warm Polenta Rounds with Pesto Chicken & Roasted Red Peppers

Festive and flavorful, an elegant and gluten-free appetizer!

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 tube of polenta
• 2 cups of cooked chicken breast shredded
• 3/4 cup pesto sauce
• 1 small jar roasted red peppers sliced into 15-18 ribbons

Instructions

 

• Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Slice the polenta into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Fry in batches, 4-5 minutes on each side, until browned and golden. Remove polenta rounds and place on a serving dish.
• Lower the heat to low and add the shredded chicken and pesto sauce. Coat the chicken in the pesto sauce and saute just enough to warm it. Top each polenta round with a dollop of shredded chicken and one ribbon of roasted red pepper. Garnish with toasted pine nuts.

Keyword appetizers, gluten free, healthy

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