Polenta Spiced Chicken with a Warm Sweet Potato & Bean Salad
Destination: Mexico. Polenta gives this chicken a proper golden crunch without a deep fryer, and our Mexican taco seasoning — cumin, oregano, paprika, chilli, no preservatives — does the heavy lifting on flavour. Underneath: a warm salad of roasted sweet potato, black beans and cherry tomatoes tossed in the ATLAS Mexican lime vinaigrette.
Serves 2 · 30 mins + prep · Eat this dish first
Fresh poultry has a shorter shelf life than red meat, so cook this one early in the week.
In your box
- 2 chicken breast fillets
- 1 ATLAS Mexican lime vinaigrette tub
- 1 Mexican taco seasoning sachet
- 1 polenta pack
- 1 black bean tin
- 1 sweet potato
- 1 red onion
- 1 cherry tomato punnet
- 1 coriander bunch*
*Coriander may be split across other dishes — read each recipe carefully.
From your pantry
Cooking oil, salt, pepper
Equipment
Sieve, frying pan, absorbent paper
Method
1. Prepare the ingredients. Read the recipe in full before you begin. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash the vegetables. Finely dice the red onion, dice the sweet potato into 2cm cubes and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Wash and drain the black beans. Pick 1 teaspoon of coriander leaves per person.
2. Roast the sweet potato. Lightly coat the sweet potato in a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt and pepper, toss to combine and arrange on a lined baking tray. Roast for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
3. Coat the chicken. Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast in half lengthways to thin out the bulky section. In a bowl, combine the polenta and taco seasoning with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken fillets one by one and press the polenta mix into the flesh to coat all over.
4. Cook the chicken. Heat a generous splash of cooking oil in a frying pan over medium heat — ideally the oil should come halfway up the chicken. Cook for 5–6 minutes on each side or until golden brown and cooked through. Drain on absorbent paper and rest for a few minutes before slicing.
5. Combine the salad. In a bowl, combine the sweet potato, black beans, cherry tomatoes and red onion. Add the Mexican lime dressing and toss to coat.
To serve
Divide the bean salad between serving plates. Top with a sliced chicken breast per person and garnish with coriander leaves.
Chef's tips
- Butterfly it: instead of cutting in half, slice horizontally halfway through the thick part of the breast and fold out — it cooks quicker and more evenly. Do this before coating.
- Oven option: lightly spray the coated chicken with oil and cook at 200°C fan-forced for 20–25 minutes, turning halfway.
- Dress last: you may not need all the dressing — add a little at a time right before serving to avoid a soggy salad.
Wanna wing it?
- Add corn or avocado to the salad
- Toss the sweet potato in your favourite spices before roasting
Allergens: garlic, onion.