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Creamy Garlic Corn Chicken with Cheesy Polenta. A delicious bowl of late summer comfort food. Chicken and corn cooked in butter with spices and garlic, then finished with cream to create a creamy, spicy sauce. Simple quick cooking polenta that’s perfectly buttery and swirled with sweet gouda cheese. Together you’ve got a flavorful and delicious meal that’s made quick and suitable for any night of the week.
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Really working from the mobile office this week! I’m currently in the Chicago airport and when you read this, I will be in New York, but heading home to Colorado today! I love traveling, but I love heading home too. Although I think I could have stayed another day in New York, I love it here!
Hoping the weather is starting to clear up a bit at home. When I left we were still having a lot of heavy afternoon storms. I’m ready for those late summer sunny days!
With it already being mid-August, corn is very plentiful. So, as I hinted on Monday, I have plenty of new recipes coming with this end-of-summer produce!
And I love this recipe. Funny enough this recipe idea came from a seafood dish I made recently with polenta. I haven’t been using polenta as much lately, but that recipe brought it back into rotation.
We love polenta. But while I love the polenta used in this recipe, it’s more about the chicken, corn, and creamy sauce!
Here are the details
The polenta needs a little more time cook, so we’ll start here!
You need lots of butter and quick-cooking polenta. Regular polenta works too, but quick-cooking is well, quicker!
Start by warming the milk until it is steaming, then whisk in the polenta. The key with polenta is to stir it for five minutes until it gets creamy, then cover. With this dish, before you cover I like to add cheese and butter. Creamy, sweet gouda is my favorite cheese here, but parmesan or a sharp cheddar would be nice too.
Now cover the polenta and let it finish cooking while you start on the chicken and corn.
For the chicken, I like it to be a little on the crispy side. To achieve this, I toss it with cornstarch before cooking, then pan-sear the chicken in butter with cajun seasonings until browned. I love to make my own homemade cajun spice mix, but if you’re in a pinch, store-bought works too.
When the chicken has browned, add the corn, garlic, and fresh thyme. Then stir in the cream and let the sauce warm through. Add a little lemon zest and basil to finish. It takes maybe five or ten minutes from start to finish – tops.
Simple, but so much flavor from all the spices, garlic, and lemony butter pan sauce.
Finish it up
I plate the polenta first, usually in a low pasta bowl. Then spoon the chicken, corn, and sauce over the polenta. Since we have so many fresh herbs right now, I top the bowl with plenty of fresh basil. Then serve with crusty bread and a big arugula salad from the garden.
So quick and simple – so delicious.
As I mentioned earlier, the chicken is the main flavor here, but the polenta completes it. It rounds out the meal and adds another layer of comfort to the dish. I think you’ll all love it!
Looking for other summer recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Pesto Polenta
Garlic Parmesan Herb Butter Polenta Fries with Lemon Aioli
Zucchini Carbonara with Crispy Prosciutto and Burrata
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Garlic Corn Chicken with Cheesy Polenta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Garlic Corn Chicken with Cheesy Polenta
Ingredients
Polenta
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup dry polenta
- 1/2 cup gouda cheese, or grated parmesan
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- kosher salt and black pepper
Chicken
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cups raw corn kernels
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. To make the polenta. In a medium pot, add 2 cups water and the milk. Bring to a low boil, then whisk in the polenta, stirring until the polenta is soft and thick, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan, butter, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat off, cover the pot, and let the polenta sit 5 minutes.2. Meanwhile, make the chicken. Toss the chicken with the cornstarch. 3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter, chicken, 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning, and a big pinch of pepper. Cook 5-minutes, until browned. Stir in the corn, garlic, and thyme and continue to cook until the garlic is fragrant. 4. Pour in the cream and stir in 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning. Cook 1-2 minutes to warm through, adding water or additional cream to thin the sauce. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon zest and basil.5. Spoon the polenta into bowls, then spoon the chicken and creamy corn sauce over the polenta. Eat and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I didn’t realize I needed to add water to the polenta is very thick.. still very, very good
Hi Michelle,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your feedback, so glad it was a hit!
This sounds so good and I’m planning to try it this week! Can I use frozen corn instead of raw in this recipe?
Thanks Bethany! You bet frozen corn is just fine for you to use. I hope you love this recipe!
So sorry to say, this one gets a G-double-O gross from us. I think it’s the zest? Just does not work. Maybe it could use some tomato and less butter to brighten it up?
Hi Corie! Thanks for sharing your honest feedback! I’m sorry this one didn’t hit the mark for you. Your idea of adding some tomato and reducing the butter sounds like a great way to lighten up the recipe a bit! Have a great week! xT
Hi. So you state in the instructions-
1. To make the polenta. In a medium pot, add 2 cups water and the milk…..But in the ingredients you only have 2 cups Milk. No water is mentioned.
Can you please clarify? Thank you.
Hi Erica,
You will want to use both the milk and the water:) I never include water in my ingredient lists. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
I can’t eat onion powder or garlic powder…is there any alternative spice or spices I could use to Cajun mix?
Many thanks!
Hi Rosa,
You could use another seasoning of your liking or make the cajun seasoning without the onion and garlic powder. I hope you love this recipe! xx
I made this recipe tonight and it was very good and warming on a drizzly December night. My basil and thyme are still doing well in the garden, but I had to use can corn. I made a mistake and used the coconut milk in the polenta, and I had parmesan – loved it! Thanks for a great dinner tonight! I look forward to trying out some of your other ideas.
Hey Krista,
Happy Friday!! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! XxT
So yummy and so easy!! It was done in about 30 minutes and tasted like I’d worked all day on it!
Hi Kelsey,
Wonderful! Thank you for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have the best day! xx
This was really yummy! The fresh corn plus the spice blend really gives such a great flavor. I also tried the same recipe with shrimp that I needed to use up and it was also good. Thank you for sharing such distinctive recipes!
Hey Marilee,
I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well! Happy Labor Day Weekend! xx
This was amazing! I made your Cajun recipe also. It had so much flavor & I think that seasoning was key. Thank you so much for sharing your fabulous recipes.
Hey Gayle,
Amazing! Love to hear that this recipe turned out nicely for you, I appreciate you making it! xx
I made this tonight. My husband & 2 girls loved it!! I used traditional canned lite coconut milk. I didn’t have Cajun seasoning, I used creole seasoning. I will definitely make this again. So flavorful!
Hey Jessica,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I am so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! x
So delicious and relatively easy! It was a hit with my husband (who’s asked for it to be added to our regular rotation of recipes) and my 2 year old daughter. We’ll definitely make it again!
Hey Sarah,
Yay!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed by your family, thanks so much for making it! xT
Hiya! Just wondering what you would recommend using for people that aren’t a big fan of polenta? I thought mashed potato but fear that it might make the dish too heavy..
Thank you!
Hi Anjonette,
I think mashed potatoes would work well with this recipe, you could also do smashed potatoes like this recipe:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/smashed-potatoes/
I hope this helps! xx
We have also used orzo with the gouda or parmesan mixed in as polenta replacements
I made this but substituted whole milk for some of the cream as well as substituting shrimp for chicken. This was awesome!!!!
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! xT
Wow! The flavor is amazing and the epitome of comfort food!
Thank you!!
Hi Tieghan! I can’t wait to make this but I am having a hard time finding anything but the pre-cooked tube of polenta at my local grocery store so I am going to order some dry polenta online. What brand do you recommend? Thanks!
Hey Tammie,
You could try using the tube polenta and just use the cooking instructions:) Otherwise, Bob’s Red Mill is a great option! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hey, Tieghan! Thanks for the recommendation. I made this for dinner tonight and my boyfriend and I both loved it. This one is going in our recipe binder and will be made again soon just like so many other of your recipes we’ve tried over the last few months. Thanks for keeping our mouths watering and our stomachs full with delicious meals that are easy to cook.
Hey Tammie,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for making it and your review!! Thanks for your kind message:) 🍓🫐🍉