Osso Buco-Style Chicken Thighs

Chicken thighs are simmered in a heady tomato sauce, then sprinkled with zesty gremolata and served on a bed of Gruyère-laced polenta. Chicken thighs stand in well for veal shanks in osso buco; their higher fat content, compared to other chicken parts, lets them hold up to long cooking or braising.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 3/4 cup polenta, 1 chicken thigh, 2/3 cup tomato mixture, and about 1 1/2 teaspoons gremolata)

Ingredients

• Chicken:
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil, divided
• 6  chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2  cups  chopped onion
• 3/4  cup  cubed carrot
• 3/4  cup  coarsely chopped celery
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4  cup  dry white wine
• 5  cups  chopped tomato (about 2 pounds)
• 1  teaspoon  dried basil
• 1  teaspoon  dried rosemary
• 
  Polenta:
• 2  cups  1% low-fat milk
• 1  (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1  cup  uncooked instant polenta
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) grated fresh Gruyère cheese
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 
  Gremolata:
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh parsley
• 2  teaspoons  grated lemon rind
• 1  garlic clove, minced

Preparation

To prepare chicken, heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and 2 garlic cloves. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomato, basil, and rosemary; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 15 minutes.

Return chicken to pan. Cover and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Uncover and cook 5 minutes or until tomato mixture thickens.

To prepare polenta, combine milk and broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; gradually add instant polenta, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

To prepare gremolata, combine parsley, rind, and 1 garlic clove. Serve chicken mixture over polenta; sprinkle with gremolata.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

412 (29% from fat)

Fat:

13.4g (sat 4.8g,mono 4.9g,poly 2.2g)

Protein:

33.6g

Carbohydrate:

40.8g

Fiber:

6.9g

Cholesterol:

108mg

Iron:

3.5mg

Sodium:

763mg

Calcium:

314mg