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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.
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
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 610 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
Homemade Cajun Seasoning:Â mix 2 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Makes 3/4 cup.Â
Does this use regular or quick cooking polenta? The cooking time seems too short for regular
Hi Carol,
I used regular polenta for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love it! xx
Hi Teighan. After my daughter made this and loved it, I tried it last weekend. Wow! The flavours are tremendous together. It is a delicious end of summer comfort dish. My hubby is fussy these days, but raved about it, thought he was eating in a restaurant lol. I’m now recommending it to friends. One friend is thrilled it’s gluten free
Hey Diane,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great Saturday! xT
This was fantastic!!!
Hi Katie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
Hi! Meal planning and came across this one which sounds wonderful and the reviews back that up. My grocery only sells the polenta in a roll. I have had multiple failures with that- because I do not know what to do with it! Any pointers? I can make grits but really want to make peace with polenta rolls. Thanks!
Hi Betsy,
Sorry, I’ve never used polenta in a roll so I would either order some dried polenta online or just follow the package instructions of the rolled polenta. I hope you love the recipe! xT
Very tasty meal. I made your spice blend for the Cajun seasoning- better by far than any store bought blend.
Hi Elizabeth,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
I made this last night with my mom and we both really liked it! I loved the flavors in the chicken and corn mixture, and it was my first time making AND trying polenta and this one turned out great (but maybe a little more salt). Another one of my favorites, and I’ll also try it with shrimp! 🙂
Hi Sara,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for sharing your review and making it! xxT
This was delicious! The whole family loved it. Excellent way to enjoy the summer’s fresh corn.
Hi Sonya,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great weekend:)
Very good. My husband usually doesn’t like polenta but he loved this. Winner!
Hi Melinda,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it:) xTieghan
it was a hit! i also made shrimp and it was a delicious addition.
Hi Stephanie,
Awesome!! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xT
Made this last night for the first time! My fiancé and I absolutely loved it! I love all of the recipes here and love even more you can adjust measurements, and create a shopping list to make a trip to the grocery store a breeze. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Leah,
Thanks so much for your kind message and feedback, I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Hope you’re off to a great day! xx
This was delicious. Not one morsel left over! I used the tube of polenta from store added in cream and Asiago. (Forgot the Gouda). So good and such a hit with my family! We’re a gluten free family (son has Celiac) and this recipe was perfect! Again!
Hi Rhonda,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great day:)
Oh my gosh Tieghan, this was delicious! I live in a small rural city, and the local grocery is pretty good, but needless to say it doesn’t always have some of the ingredients I need for making a recipe on a whim. They didn’t have ANY Polenta at all, so I decided to try using some corn meal I had on hand in place of the Polenta. I used Gouda cheese and was able to snag some fresh corn in town. I also used evaporated milk instead of the heavy cream. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the fresh herbs, so I had to use dried. Even with all the substitutes my family loved it! I can’t even imagine how much more we’ll love it when I have all the ingredients to make it right! Tonight, I made your “One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake”. The timer just went off…..and my mouth is already watering! I’ll write a review on that one soon?
Hi Marla,
Happy Tuesday! Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you:) I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Also, thanks for trying the enchilada bake, I hope it’s delish! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
Your One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake was also a hit with my family! I used red enchilada sauce with red, yellow and green bells and it was not only delish it was SUPER delish! The yummy corn enchiladas sitting atop the chicken fajitas is brilliant! It was so easy to make and looked so tantalizing coming straight out of the oven…I’m a gooey kind of cheese girl and it was perfect! I actually hid the leftovers for my lunch the next day. Shhh…don’t tell my family 😉 I can’t wait to try more of your incredible recipes!
Hey Marla,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great weekend:)
wow this was so delicious!! That little sweet crunchy pop from the corn made the dish for me. Definitely making this one again!
Hi Rachel,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
This was so amazing and so quick!! Another hit!
Hey Alicia,
Happy Tuesday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for trying it out! xx
I made this for my husband and college-aged son last week, and it was a hit (as most are that I try from this website). The grocery store I shop did not have “dry polenta” so I did have to use the tube of ready made polenta which I put in a sauce pan, smashed good with my potato masher adding some milk to soften it, then heated and added the gouda. I later researched online and saw I could sub medium ground cornmeal for the dry polenta which I’ll do next time. Honestly, it tasted like some of the cheese grits I’ve made in the past. Very good though!
Hi Leslie,
Thanks so much for your kind message and making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a hit! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you:) xTieghan