BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2007

Show: 30 Minute MealsEpisode: Bird Meets Grill

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (30)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(30)

Cook Time:
15 min
Level:
--
Yield:
4 servings

Times:

Prep: 15 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 15 min
Total:: 30 min

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Ingredients

1 tablespoon grill seasoning
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon coriander
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/4 fresh pineapple, cut into spears and grilled
2 limes
A handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup milk or half-and-half
1 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped and 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
3/4 cup quick cooking polenta
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey

Directions

Heat grill pan over medium-high heat.

Mix spices and sugar in a large plastic food storage bag. Coat chicken with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and add to bag. Coat the chicken evenly in the spices and sugar. Let the chicken hang out a few minutes.

Chop and combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, onions and grilled pineapple spears.

Place chicken on grill and cook 6 to 7 minutes on each side.

Dress the salad with lime and a couple tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Season the salad with cilantro, salt and pepper.

Heat the stock and milk or half-and-half in a sauce pot with chipotle and adobo sauce. Whisk in the polenta and thicken 2-3 minutes, stir in pumpkin to warm through. Stir in butter and honey and season with salt and pepper.

Serve polenta with chicken and salsa salad.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta
PAULA Boise, ID 09-27-2009
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Chicken and Polenta Great! Salad not to our taste.
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

We loved the chicken - great flavors. The polenta was unusal and equally flavorful. We did not enjoy the salad as much. ... It just didn't seem to fit the flavors of the chicken and polenta. Thanks for your creative ideas Rachel.Read more
recipe BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta
cameron Atlanta, GA 06-10-2009
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Brown sugar spice rub can burn
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

Keep an eye on your chicken while it cooks. We used our indoor grill pan and in no time at all the surface of the chicken... began to blacken from the brown sugar burning. Otherwise I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly this menu came together, even with all the chopping for the salsa. I managed to forget chipotle in adobo at the store so ended up just making a nice cheesy polenta side dish using some queso quesadilla I had on hand. I'll need to find another menu using the can of pumpkin!Read more
recipe BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta
Katie Middletown, CT 04-16-2009
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Delish!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this a ton of times, and each time I make it I fall more in love with it. I could take or leave the... polenta.....but my husband LOVES it. So I make it each time. It does make a lot of salsa, but I now double the chicken (I ALWAYS pound the chicken out thin or by the thin cut chicken.....personal preference, but it comes out so moist...cook 3-4 minutes per side). We use the salsa the next morning for breakfast burritos or a lot o times I'll make a make shift burrito with the salsa and left over chicken for lunch. Can't say enough good things about the sweet....spicy..smokey flavor of the chicken. I use my Cuisinart Griddler for ease of not fighting the weather to BBQ it outside.Read more
recipe BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta
GAIL S. Setauket, NY 01-11-2009
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Wonderful and spicy polenta!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I only made the polenta last night as a side dish to a purchased rotisserie chicken. The chipotle permeated the dish and... gave it a smokey flavor with lots of heat. The honey definitely balanced it out and reduced the potency. My whole family enjoyed it, particularly my fourteen year old son who devoured more than half of it. Read more
recipe BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta
rachel philadelphia, PA 09-22-2008
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Delish
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

First, let me say if this were only the chicken, I would be giving it 5 stars. Excellent flavor, completely moist and just... overall fab. Pumpkin polenta was nice, salsa a bit bland to be truthful. If I could give it 4.5 I would!! Will be making this chicken again.Read more
recipe BBQ Spiced Chicken, Salsa Salad and Pumpkin-Chipotle Polenta
Julie Cambridge, MA 09-08-2008
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one of my favorite meals ever
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I followed this recipe exactly and it came out AMAZING. I cooked the chicken on a cuisenart Griddler and it came out perfect... when cooked 6 minutes on each side. The pineapple salsa salad was a perfect sweet, cool crunchy complement to the super spicy polenta. I wasn't super excited about the idea of adding pumpkin and honey to the polenta (since I don't love those flavors), and I though the texture would be too loose and soupy, but it also came out perfect and creamy with the milk, and the chipotle in adobo gave it lots of heat and flavor, and it was the perfect consistency for me to mop up with bites of sweet/smokey chicken. It was super easy (the pineapple, onion, pepper, cilantro prep was the most time-consuming) but totally woth it even in 45 minutes. I will absolutely be making this again, probably for my boyfriends parents who I now can't wait to invite over for dinner.Read more