Celebrating Modern Jewish Living Through Food, Tradition, and Family
Chicken with Eggplant
Chicken with eggplant is a Middle-Eastern inspired dish that’s tender, flavorful, and surrounded by the most delicious, savory sauce. This dish is even better the second day so make a large batch to ensure leftovers.
The Backstory: I have ordered different varieties of chicken with eggplant many times in restaurants and it’s one of my favorite dishes. Since chicken is used in almost every region of this world, there are many variations that make chicken dishes unique. However, using it with eggplant well, that veggie places this mainly in the Middle East. Eggplant also features prominently in Israeli cuisine, and the surrounding Mediterranean area. You can find it in dips, spreads, couscous recipes, cold and warm salads, and in many grilled vegetarian dishes as well as dish’s that combine vegetables with other proteins. More of the Backstory after the recipe…
Chicken with Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 4-5 lbs. Kosher chicken parts
- 3-4 medium size eggplant, unpeeled
- 2 tbsp.. Kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
- 1 cup oil, divided or olive oil
- 2 garlic gloves, chopped
- 1-2 bell peppers, seeded and cut into medium chunks green, red your choice
- 1 lb. ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded or drained, seeded canned tomatoes
- 4 sprigs parsley, chopped or dill
- 1 1/2+ cups white wine
- hot chicken stock or water, as needed
Instructions
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Put chunks of eggplant into a colander and sprinkle with 1 tbsp. of salt. Let drain for about 20-30 minutes. Set aside. Heat about 1/2 cup of oil in a very large skillet. Add the chicken and garlic, brown the chicken on both sides. Remove any brown garlic. Then add 1 tbsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, then pour the wine over the chicken. Cook until almost all the wine is evaporated. Add the tomatoes and peppers If you need any liquid add some water or hot stock to the pan..
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In a large stock pot heat the remaining oil. Add the eggplant, and peppers. Cook for about 10 minutes, on med to high heat. Don't burn the veggies. Season with 1 tbsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper and the parsley.
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Add everything from the chicken mixture to the large stock pot. Heat all until the chicken is done cooking. Remove and serve in a large deep platter.
…The Backstory continues: This recipes is one that I made for my husband–surprisingly, since he had an aversion to almost all vegetables except corn, potatoes and creamed spinach. I had to remove all signs of vegetables in this dish and serve him chicken and sauce only. Me? I got the whole enchilada–chicken, sauce and a plate full of delicious vegetables.
This recipe is absolutely scrumptious when paired with rice, noodles, or any pasta of your choice. I actually refer to this as my chicken stew but whatever you call it, it is worth taking the extra steps to make this great dish.