Mbaipy – creamy polenta with chicken and cheese
A Guaraní dish from north-east Argentina, in Corrientes and Misiones, and from Paraguay: creamy polenta cooked in chicken broth and milk with onion and pepper, with shredded chicken and cheese melting through it. It's also made with beef (mbaipy so'o).
- 1 h 40Time
- 1 h 05Hands-on
- 4Portions
- 55 gprotein per portion
- 920kcal per portion
Ingredients for 4 portions
- 1 kgChicken legs, 4 whole legs, split into thigh and drumstick
- to tasteSalt
- to tasteBlack pepper
- 3 tbspRapeseed oil
- 2Yellow onions, chopped
- 1Bell pepper, chopped
- 2 clovesGarlic, chopped
- ≈ 1 lWater
- 500 mlMilk
- 250 gPolenta
- 200 gQueso cremoso, diced
Method
- Chop the onion, pepper and garlic.
- Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy-based pot and brown the chicken all over for about 10 minutes.
- Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook for about 8 minutes, until soft.
- Pour in the water and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer over a low heat for 35 minutes, until the meat comes away from the bone.
- Lift out the chicken, discard the skin and bones and shred the meat. There should be about 800 ml of broth left in the pot; top up with water if there is less.
- Add the milk to the broth and bring to the boil. Pour in the polenta in a thin stream, whisking hard so that no lumps form.
- Cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the polenta is cooked, thick and creamy. Quick-cook polenta needs only a few minutes.
- Stir in the chicken and cheese and let the cheese melt. Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve the mbaipy straight away in deep plates.
