Roast Chicken with Broccoli Rabe and Polenta

This dinner was the result of a miscommunication between my husband and I.  I thought he got chicken cutlets form our local butcher that cut chicken perfectly for wrapping and stuffing.  So I started prepping this lovely broccoli rabe and prosciutto stuffing.  Imagine my surprise when I took out the chicken to stuff it and realized it was a whole chicken split in half.  I came up with this!

Ingredients

1 chicken, split in half and backbone removed

1 bunch of broccoli rabe, trimmed

4 sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

Olive Oil

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1/2 cup of white wine

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

2 tsp of balsamic vinegar

3 oz of prosciutto

1 tomato, diced

1 heaping tsp of cornstarch, dissolved in chicken broth

Salt & Pepper

For the polenta

1 cup of stoneground yellow corn meal

3 cups of water

1/2 tsp of salt

Pre heat the oven to 425.  Place the chicken in a roasting pan and season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 45 minutes until the skin is crisp and browned and the internal temperature of the thigh meat is at least 165.  Meanwhile, blanch the broccoli rabe in salted water for 3-4 minutes.  Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the garlic for 1 minute.  Remove rabe from the water and add to pan with the garlic.  Stir, cooking for 1 minute and then add the sun dried tomatoes.  Cook for about another 2 more minutes, until the rabe is tender.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the polenta, bring the water to a boil and add the salt.  Slowly whisk in the corn meal.  Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.

To make the sauce, heat 2 tsp of olive oil in pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and cook for about 2 minutes until softened.  Add in the white wine and cook until the wine is reduced by half.  Add in the chicken broth and balsamic and bring to a boil.  Next add the prosciutto and cook for 2 minutes.  Last add the diced tomato and cook until warmed through.  Set-aside until the chicken is done.  Once you have removed the chicken from the roasting pan to allow to rest, pour off any fat, stir in the cornstarch slurry into the sauce and then add the sauce to the pan.  Place the pan back into the oven for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.  

Serve by placing polenta on the bottom topped with the broccoli rabe.  Pour the sauce over and then top with the roast chicken.