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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
This was such a yummy comfort food and a crowd pleaser. I was in a hurry and it was super quick to make and on the table in under 30. I couldn’t find dry polenta in my tiny town so I used the tube stuff and it worked perfectly! So excited to have a HBH fall again !
Hey Kalie,
Happy Monday!! I am delighted to hear that this recipe was tasty for you! Thanks for making it:) xx
Made this last week and it was delicious! I didn’t have any fresh corn so I substituted a bang of frozen roasted corn and it seemed to work. I will have this on our meal rotation!
Hey Michelle,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xT
If you are in a pinch, can you use the precooked polenta? If so, how much? I am not sure how much 1 cup of dry polenta ends up to be once cooked.
Hi Alli,
Sure, you would just want to follow the instructions for the polenta that you choose to use and use as much or as little as you would like! I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
This meal was delicious. So great! Used smoked Gouda in the polenta, 10/10. Will happily make this one over and over.
Hi Lisa,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xx
Really enjoyed this! Got all ready and didn’t have chicken so I also made it with shrimp! Fabulous sub for shrimp and grits.
Hey Cheryl,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a ton for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was a winner:)
This one was really yummy! The polenta came out perfectly creamy (often I find it too dry). The chicken was delicious and both my kids ate it, which is always a win. 100% would make again.
Hi Zoe!
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xT
Holy moly this is delicious! As are all your recipes. I’m just constantly wowed. Thank you so much! You are a gift to my kitchen and my little family who enjoys as much as I do!
Hi Jaime,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you taking the time to make this recipe, I am so glad it was a hit! Thanks so much for your kind message? Happy Wednesday:)
I used shrimp instead of chicken and used Parmesan instead of Gouda. It was so good! Polenta is a favorite comfort meal.
Hey Alex,
Such a great idea to use shrimp here, thanks for giving the recipe a try and sharing what worked well for you! xT
This was exactly what my Monday needed! I followed the recipe except for adding a diced zucchini to add some more veggies. Way to go, Tieghan! This is a keeper!
Hey Kirsten,
Amazing!! Thanks a lot for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was tasty for you! xT
Genuinely one of the best meals I’ve ever had. If I could give it more than five stars I absolutely would.
Hi Kirstin,
Happy Monday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it:) xTieghan
Never had polenta before and this was sooo delicious. Will be making again…and again
Hi Sophia,
Fantastic! I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was tasty for you! xT
Fantastic. Can’t overstate how good this was.
Hi Niki,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xx
This is literally one of the best things we’ve tried from Half Baked Harvest. We are standing over the leftovers and eating straight out of the bowl. Please make this ASAP.
Hi Hannah,
Perfect! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it was a hit! xxT
When do you add the gouda? While the polenta is cooking, or after?
Hi Katie,
You are going to add it where is says add the parmesan…if you are using gouda then you would add it there as well. So after the polenta is cooking. I hope you love the recipe! xTieghan
Very good! I made the recipe as was written but did follow the directions on the polenta bag I had which called for 1 less cup of liquid (1 cup water, 2 cups milk). This dish is very savory with the cajun seasoning so I wouldn’t add any extra salt while cooking it. Adding shrimp would be good and my husband has requested that for the next time I make it.
Hi Sarah,
Happy Labor Day! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:)