Rosemary with Chicken...and Creamy Rosemary Polenta

Fresh Rosemary makes chicken taste like better chicken. My two favorite ways to use Rosemary are both with simple chicken recipes....sauteed breast strips and homemade chicken stock.

1. Before sauteing breast strips, add a few sprigs of rosemary to the olive oil and heat it on low for a few minutes. The rosemary imparts a gourmet flavor to this simple entree.

2. Add sprigs of rosemary (with onions, garlic, carrots and celery) to the water when making chicken stock. These combined flavors can't be beat!

I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks yummy. I found it on Oprah.com.

CREAMY ROSEMARY POLENTA

Ingredients:
1 qt. whole milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking polenta
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a 6-qt soup pot, bring milk and 1 cup water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove pot from heat; stir in rosemary, cover , and let stand 5 minutes. Strain milk mixture through fine sieve set over a bowl. Discard rosemary.

Pour milk back into pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add polenta and cook, whisking constantly, until thick, about 3 minutes (reduce heat slightly, if necessary.)

Whisk in cream butter, salt and pepper until mixture is smooth and butter is melted. Stir in cheese and immediately pour into a warm, deep serving platter.