Fajita Polenta Bowl
There is a trend in recipes to convert meals into bowl form. I’m all about that, but I’ve been campaigning to put everything into a tortilla shell because of my love for tacos! So, does food taste better in a bowl or a tortilla shell? I’ll gladly participate in that debate with this recipe. I made this deconstructed fajita bowl by using polenta in place of corn tortilla shells. I wondered if I would just crave actual fajitas after eating this, but it was satisfying in a completely different way. Although the flavors and spices are the same, the combination in this bowl tastes different. And pretty darn good!
The polenta is creamy and the corn and peppers have a charred, smoky flavor. The cilantro and scallions add a fresh pop while the lime juice and sour cream cut through the spicy kick from the chipotle vinaigrette. This bowl just may have me on the ‘bowl recipe’ bandwagon.
Fajita Polenta Bowl Recipe
Makes 2 servings. (You may have some leftovers.)
Ingredients
- 1 small can chipotle peppers and sauce (You’ll use 2 of the peppers.)
- 4 Tbsp olive oil (divided – 3 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp)
- 2 limes
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 2 chicken breasts
- Fajita seasoning (divided – 2 tsp and 1 Tbsp) (I use Penzeys or a seasoning packet works great.)
- 1 red onion, quartered
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into large pieces
- 1 jalapeno, sliced
- 2 Tbsp scallions, chopped (about 3 sprigs)
- 1 ear of corn (substitute 1/2 cup frozen or canned)
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 cups water
- 8 Tbsp instant polenta (not the kind in the tube)
- 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1/8 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Directions
Make the Chipotle Vinaigrette
- In a food processor, add 1 chipotle pepper and its sauce, 3 Tbsp olive oil, 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp cumin.
- Run the food processor until the ingredients are mixed and the pepper pieces are very finely minced. (If you don’t have a food processor, finely chop the chipotle pepper and whisk together until combined.)
Prepare the Ingredients
- Prepare the chicken breasts by placing them between two pieces of plastic wrap or in a plastic bag. Pound the chicken with a handheld meat tenderizer or a can from the pantry until the chicken is an even thickness across the breast (about 1/4-inch). (This will help the chicken breast cook evenly.) Spray the chicken with cooking spray and sprinkle both sides with fajita seasoning, about 2 tsp total.
- Peel and cut 1 red onion in half and slice into 1-inch wedges.
- Remove the stem and seeds from a red bell pepper and chop into large pieces.
- Remove the stem and seeds from 1 jalapeno and cut into thin slices.
- Thinly chop the green and white parts of the scallion into about 2 Tbsp.
- Remove the husk and silk from 1 ear of corn. (Or, use 1/2 cup canned or frozen corn. If using frozen, defrost it in the microwave.)
- Remove cilantro leaves from the stems and roughly chop into about 2 Tbsp.
- Roughly chop one of the canned chipotle peppers.
Start Cooking
- If you have a gas stove, turn the burner to high and place the corn directly over the flame. Use tongs to turn the corn until all sides of the corn are blackened, about 5-6 minutes. (You may hear the corn pop – that is ok!) If you don’t have a gas stove, bring a medium sized pot filled half way with water to a boil, and boil the corn for about 10 minutes or until tender.
- Wrap the corn in foil and set aside (careful, it’s hot). This allows the kernels to continue to cook. (You can skip this step if you boiled your corn.)
- In a bowl add the onions, red bell pepper, jalapeno and chopped chipotle pepper. Into the bowl drizzle 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and 1 Tbsp of fajita seasoning. Stir until the ingredients are coated in the seasoning.
- Heat a grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium heat, and add the onions and peppers. (If you use a grill, you may need to put the onion/peppers onto foil so the pieces don’t fall through the rack.)
- Add the chicken breasts to the grill, grill pan, or skillet.
- Cook the chicken until thoroughly cooked, about 4-5 minutes per side. Cook the onion/peppers until softened and slightly charred, about a total of 10-12 minutes. (Stir them several times while cooking.)
- While the chicken and vegetables cook, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and stir in 8 Tbsp of instant polenta, 1/2 Tbsp of butter and 1/8 tsp kosher salt. Whisk the polenta until it becomes smooth. Place the lid on the saucepan and turn off the heat. Let the polenta set for five minutes.
- Remove the foil from the corn and roughly shape it into a bowl. Stand up the corn in the middle of the piece of foil, and run a knife along the ear to remove the corn kernels. The foil will help catch the kernels as they fall off.
- Evenly divide the polenta between two plates. Add a scoop of the onions/peppers, sliced chicken, corn kernels, cilantro, scallions and a dollop of sour cream. Squeeze fresh lime juice on top and drizzle with the vinaigrette.
I estimate this at about 2 large servings depending on the size of your chicken breasts, onions and red bell pepper. You may have left overs that would make a great quesadilla or tacos the next day.
I grill the ears of corn directly on the flame of my gas stove until they are good and blackened. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, or if you don’t have a gas stove, you can place the husked corn directly onto an actual grill or boil it. I like the charred flavor of the corn, but boiling the corn will still taste great.
The chipotle vinaigrette has a little kick to it (I’m a bit of a wuss with spice). Depending on your taste you can add more sugar to reduce the spiciness or use less of the sauce from the pepper.
You can substitute green bell pepper or poblano pepper in place of the red bell pepper. You may also want to add diced avocado or guacamole.
Use the Extra Ingredients
Use the leftovers the next day to make tacos or add cheese for a quesadilla. Save the canned chipotle pepper in the refrigerator to add to enchiladas or bbq sauce.
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