Mediterranean Chicken with Eggplant
I've learned to make this dish from my grandmother who still lives on the shore of the Mediterranean.
I've learned to make this dish from my grandmother who still lives on the shore of the Mediterranean.
Holy Smokes!!! This was so good and so easy I can hardly believe it!! I did change the way I sweat the eggplants though. I salt them and place them in a colander for 30 minutes with a heavy bowl on top of the eggplant. Then I rinsed off all the extra salt. I think letting them sit in water would make them too mushy. Other than that...loved this recipe and will make it again. I served this with rice (for my husband) and he loved it as well.
Read MoreHere is how to improve the taste of eggplant. Slice it up, then sprinkle salt generously on each side. Set your slices in a bowl or collander. Leave it for about 20 minutes. The eggplant will be covered in "sweat", because it is sweating out the bitterness. Rinse off your eggplant, and cook accordingly. Yes the water that comes off will be sort of brown. This will make the eggplant taste better and will eliminate the unnecessary step of boiling, which will make the eggplant mushy.
Read MoreHere is how to improve the taste of eggplant. Slice it up, then sprinkle salt generously on each side. Set your slices in a bowl or collander. Leave it for about 20 minutes. The eggplant will be covered in "sweat", because it is sweating out the bitterness. Rinse off your eggplant, and cook accordingly. Yes the water that comes off will be sort of brown. This will make the eggplant taste better and will eliminate the unnecessary step of boiling, which will make the eggplant mushy.
Holy Smokes!!! This was so good and so easy I can hardly believe it!! I did change the way I sweat the eggplants though. I salt them and place them in a colander for 30 minutes with a heavy bowl on top of the eggplant. Then I rinsed off all the extra salt. I think letting them sit in water would make them too mushy. Other than that...loved this recipe and will make it again. I served this with rice (for my husband) and he loved it as well.
Great dish if you know what you are doing! I am beginner to cooking with eggplant so I took advice from everyone, sweat the eggplant in a colander,marinated the chicken in balsamic,lemon juice and olive oil and I layered it with ricotta. I think I overdid the cayenne and salt. Anyway wasn't bad for my first try, I topped with an Italian five cheese blend, we eat cheese by the pound at my house so I knew that would go over well. Next time I will get black olives to use in it. I agree use lots of spice.
I love mediterranean food and this was great (but only got 4 stars as I altered it a bit) I used japanese eggplants - as they were on sale, and diced them up and then added to a casserole dish (the japanese ones do not need salting). I then diced up the chicken the same size. While the chicken and onion were cooking I crumbled 300g feta (12 onces if you are in the US) over the eggplants. I added the tomato paste, oregeno, red wine (about 1/4 a cup), the water and 1/4 cup of olives to the chicken mix. This turned out great, a bit liquidy as the eggplants do release a lot of moisture - so next time I will take away 1/4 a cup of water and use the red wine in its place. Serve with a crispy greek salad with plenty of tomatoes and cucumber.
I cut this down to 3 servings since I live alone - it divided very well, though it might be just me but I think that amount would only serve 2. I did change one thing because I have yet to discover tomato paste for sale in Japan. I ended up using a can of crushed tomatoes, reduced in a saucepan for 1 hour, and omitting the water. Despite my being worried about the eggplant sitting in water for 30 minutes, I followed the recipe but it didn't turn out mushy at all - in fact it was quite the perfect texture. Also, (regarding an earlier review) I didn't measure out the amount of oil I used, instead just brushing a thin-ish layer on both sides of the eggplant strips - just enough to cover it so it doesn't burn when sauteéd. Suggestions for next time would be to add grated/minced garlic when adding the tomatoes, and black olive halves over the top just before baking. Overall, I was very impressed, and this recipe comes highly recommended.
Made this last night for dinner. My husband declared it "EXCELLENT". I did cut the chicken into large pieces then marinated in lemon juice,zest,balsamic vinegar and olive oil and grilled it half cooked before baking.Also took advice of others and layered ricotta under chicken. Delish! Thanks.
Delicious - I like that it uses so few ingredients! My version had a few modifications. I marinated diced chicken thighs in a splash of lemon juice and balsamic vinegar. Salted the eggplant slices for 30 minutes then sauteed. Added 1 diced roma tomato with chicken/onion. I used half red wine for the water and whisked the tomato paste into that before adding to the pan. After pouring the simmered mixture over the eggplant I deglazed the pan with chicken broth and poured that on top. It is a good dish, next time I would dice the eggplant instead - the slices were too large for our liking. Served with egg noodles but rice might be easier to manage.
This was delicious. I served it with pita bread, and we ate the eggplant/chicken over the toasted pita. I did make changes, which I think made a huge difference. For each serving made, I added a clove of minced garlic when I cooked the onions and chicken (I only made two servings, so I added two cloves of garlic). I also dotted the eggplant with small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese in between the eggplant and chicken, which added a nice creamy layer. YUM!
I was given 2 eggplants, lots of green onions, a huge amount of grape tomatoes and had chicken breasts thawing in the fridge so I googled the ingredients and it brought me here to this recipe. I did switch it up some, I followed the advice on salting and draining the eggplant, cooked it, the chicken chunks, added the grape tomatoes, sliced baby bella mushrooms, white and green onions, added half a bag of frozen green/red/yellow bell pepper strips, one can of petite tomatoes and spices. I googled Mediterranean spices and was given a mixture of cinnamon, cumin, coriander (used dried cilantro), rosemary, oregano (Mexican was all I had) salt/pepper and added it all, to taste..turned out to be the best dish ever!! Over rice, it's fantastic! Definitely going to make it again.
This was surprisingly good for so few ingredients but definitely marinate your chicken beforehand I didnt and it was bland, but the sauce helped. I added 2 grated garlic cloves, chicken broth instead of water, increased the tomato paste to make more sauce. and layered with skim ricotta which melted and was awesome. I also used fresh oregano. I too sweated the eggplant, rinsed and pan grilled using a cooking spray in non stick pan. My husband did not complain and even ate his eggplant which he usually leaves on the plate.
I loved this recipe. I sliced the eggplants a little thinner the second time I made it.
After reading the reviews I decided to try a few things. For one, I thinly sliced the eggplant into rounds instead of cutting lengthwise. This worked out well because once it was ready to be served I could scoop out the portions neatly. I also decided to marinate the chicken overnight. Used balsamic vinegar, oregano, onion, salt, pepper, lemon. I read some reviews that said the recipe was bland so I made sure to marinade. I sweated the eggplant and rinsed the rounds well once it was ready. I think that when you sautee them you should make sure to add plenty of seasoning because this eggplant has a nice meaty texture but doesnt penetrate flavor as well. Dont be afraid to season them up. Thats the one thing I would do differnt next time when cooking the eggplant. Overall it came out pretty tasty. My 10 year old ate it up. Typical kid who is a bit weary of vegetables too. When you bake it together make sure to seal with aluminum *very* well to lock in the moisture and dont overbake. Oh and lastly, this is an important one. I used the whole can of tomato paste. Those cans are small and this recipe says to use 2tbs. Im wondering if they meant to say 2 oz because all those cans are 2 oz and 2 tbs was definitely was not enough. The whole can is much better to use. I used 4 chicken breasts and it gave it a good enough amount of flavor. Lastly because I cooked 4 chicken breasts, an 8 x 12 fit the recipe perfectly -used 2 eggplants instead of 3 to even it out.
This was really great! My husband cleaned his plate and he's not particularly fond of eggplant. I pretty much followed the directions except I cut the eggplant into cubes, tossed it with some water and kosher salt then let it sit in a colander for about 20 minutes. Before sauteing I rinsed the salt off. I cooked the chicken with the onion and a clove of crushed garlic. I also sprinkled on some crumbled feta cheese after removing from the oven. I think the feta gave it a much better flavor than adding a layer of ricotta cheese like some reviews said. Ricotta is pretty bland in my opinion.
Very good recipe. I am always looking for different ways to cook eggplant since I really like it, and I know it is good for you ;) I did do a couple things different. After slicing the eggplant I salted it and set it out on a paper towel and covered it with another paper towel (a trick my grandmother used). Anyway, I did not bake at all becuase it was getting late, so I fried eggplant first, removed from pan, and fried chicken with onion and garlic. I added mushrooms and followed the advice of another reviewer and added some wine! Then I added the tomatoe (petite diced) a pinch of fresh basil, salt and pepper (I was out of oregano!) I added the eggplant to that chicken mix and let simmer until some of the juices evaporated. Then I added grated cheese and covered! MMMMMMM!
I used nearly the entire 6 oz can of tomato paste and about 3 generous tsp oregano. I layered, eggplant + ricotta cheese + chicken tomato layer. I used too much oil and a few pieces of the eggplant got saturated.
Absolutely amazing!!! As others recommended, I marinated my chicken in balsamic vinegar with some oil and dried spices. An hour or so was plenty enough. Prior to cooking the chicken, I fried my onions with fresh garlic. I really enjoy chicken cooked in any kind of sauce, so I almost trippled the amount of water I used with tomato paste (actually, instead of water, I used chicken broth). And before pouring the simmering mixture over the eggplants, I added some Ricotta cheese and black olives. Once cooked, I served it over rice and everyone at my work and in my family enjoyed it to the end!! Thank you so much for such easy and delicious recipe!
This was an excellent recipe that even my boyfriend loved, and he had told me previously that he didn't even like eggplants! I followed the directions except I cubed both the chicken and the eggplant, and added a lot more oregano. I also topped everything before baking with grated parmesan cheese and sliced green onions. I willl be making this again.
My family loves eggplant AND chicken, but we did not like this as it was. Needed goat cheese, ricotta, something. Will not make again.
This was my first experience with eggplant! It was awesome! I made a few changes though. I grilled my whole chx breats along with the eggplant and some red peppers brushed with EVOO. I tossed 4 halved garlic cloves into the onion pan and sauteed those with the chx. I omitted the paste/water combo and just used a small can of tom sauce. I also added a layer of shredded mozz chz between veggies and chx. Then baked as stated. I will be making this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Eggplant was good, chicken was cooked perfectly, the tomato with oregano was BLAND. This recipe needs some desperate help. I wish I had not wasted the chicken and eggplant on this recipe.
this dish was very good but i did switch some things up. i did not put water on the eggplant instead i rubbed salt on them and let them sweat. i added more tamato paste and more water. and also i added a layer of ricotta in between the eggplant and the chicken/tamatoe layer! YUM
This was just ok. I didn't have a problem with the preparation of the dish and I did just soak the eggplant in salted water. I think I may just not be a big fan of eggplant but it was rather bland.
This was a wonderful dish. The flavors and texture are absolutely delicious. Hubby loved it. The only thing I did differently was add Parmesan cheese on the top the last 5 minutes of baking time.
Excellent. Chicken was very tender. Even better flavor the next day.
I liked this recipe. Me and my 9 year old daughter gave it a thumbs up. My very picky husband doesn't eat eggplant and I thought this would turn him around, but it didn't. But he did eat two helpings of the chicken. I also took the advice and salted the eggplant and put in a colander to sweat it out. I marinated the diced chicken in balsamic, EVOO and lemon juice. I cut the eggplant a little thicker so it wouldn't be mush. I didn't have tomato paste, so I used a Bulgarian red pepper spread called Ajvar. It's red and chunky and actually has some eggplant in it. And don't be grossed out ... I squirted a little ketchup over it too to give it a tomatoey flavor. It really was good and I will have it for lunch tomorrow! Served it with rice, a green salad and biscuits.
This recipe was fantastic. I made a few modifications based on what was in my cabinet, but I am thinking the effect was very similar. Instead of tomato paste and water, I used a cup of spaghetti sauce for 1/3rd of the recipe (2 chicken breasts and one eggplant). After placing the eggplant in the pan, I covered it with a layer of fresh tomatoe slices. I topped this with the chicken, onion, sauce mixture and baked for the recommended time. Delicious and interesting! Thanks!
Really tasty recipe! I reduced the size down to 1 eggplant and 2 chicken breasts for just 2 of us. I used a full onion, added a garlic clove, 1/4 C. of Feta cheese & a small can of whole black olives, and had to use a cooked down tomato in place of tomato paste. I did not bother peeling the eggplant- I liked the dark skin color on the edges and have no problem with the flavor or texture. I also sweated the eggplant in a colander in the sink rather than using the salt water bath. The flavor was really good- unique without being weird. The sauteed eggplant really had a rich flavor- it made the dish. (Well, that and the cheese!) It was a great way to eat our veggies and add a new flavor to the regular chicken rotation. Served with spiced couscous and green beans- yum!
Added 3 cloves of garlic while cooking the chicken and onions. Overall the dish had good flavor.
I changed this with spices and balsamic vinegar and red wine.. since I cook for just myself, I only did 1 eggplant and 2 chicken breasts and still had plenty to freeze for other meals.
I added crumbled feta cheese in between the layers of eggplant. I can't imagine the recipe without it, it was so good! I soaked the eggplant as suggested and it turned out soft, but not too mushy. Served with couscous, it was spectacular.
this was a 3.5 in my books. i used chicken broth instead of water for more flavour, and added some feta about 5 minutes before it was done - it was very flavourful. i aslo at it on its own, but my husband ate it with rice. either way it was good, and easy, and i would make it again, but the added flavour was necessary in my mind.
I didnot think that the recipe called for boiling of the eggplants. It simply says let it sit in the water with salt... Anyway I loved this... It does take some cooking skills though.
the grown-ups at the table LOVED it! Not so the 9 and 6 year olds.
This was excellent.The only thing I added was to sprinkle feta on top at the time it went into the oven.. It is not necessary to add feta "5 minutes before it's done" because feta doesn't melt. I wish people would read recipes more closely or that the editors would correct reviews such as the first one that cautions you against "boiling" the eggplant. The recipe doesn't say to boil it! I also don't understand the "bland" comments when there is 2 tsp. oregano, salt, pepper and an onion.
This was exellent. I never made anything like this before so I didn't know what to expect but we will definately have this again. Both my husband and my grown son really liked it. We didn't vary from the recipe. We got a large eggplant and just used the one but we'll want to use more next time. I also think we'll add garlic the next time too.
This was excellent. I didn't rate it a 5 because I had followed some of the instructions from others. I marinated my chicken in basalmic vinegar, lemon, and olive oil. Then grilled it for about 4 minutes on each side. I then cubed it up and finished the recipe as is. I did add a small layer of mozzarella between the eggplant and chicken. I was delicious. I served it with a greek salad. Yum! Yum! Will be making this one again!
Very good. I added some celery and white wine to the recipe however.
GREAT! I added spinach and fresh mushrooms to the chicken mixture. Tasty!
Having very little experience with eggplant, I was a little worried about this dish. My worry was unfounded, because the end result was delicious. My sometimes difficult to please husband loved it (as did the rest of the family). The only change I made to the recipe was to add a few cloves of garlic. This one's definitely a keeper!
Very good. I did not have tomato paste so I used about a cup or so of jarred marinara and eliminated the water. I also added a handful of sliced marinated green olives - worked very well. I love eggplant - delicious dish.
This was pretty good. I did substitute freshly diced tomatoes for the tomato paste and added garlic and green peppers to the chicken sauce.
The husband and I thought this dish turned out delicious! The only thing we added was a good amount of mozzerella sprinkled on top after it was finished baking. Very good and lots of leftovers!
Maybe yours will be better than mine. When I was sauteing the eggplant, it began to resemble earthworms. I used chicken tenders instead of breasts, and they were kinda dry and bland. I sliced the onions instead of dicing them, and they were the best part. I served this with couscous, steamed vegetables, salad, and rolls. The eggplant was easier to eat, when I cut it up and mixed it with my coucous.
This turned out pretty well. I followed others tips of marinating the chicken but added too much balsamic vinegar. My 7 and 11 year olds loved it, so I'm sure I'll make it again.
I liked that this recipe was very simple so it leaves a lot of room to be creative. I went with the lemon and balsamic marinade for the chicken others suggested using white balsamic vinegar. I replaced the tomato paste and water with fresh roma tomatoes skinned, mashed and slow cooked into a sauce, added some garlic along with the chicken and onions, and put a layer of parmesean cheese over the eggplant before I added the sauce and chicken. I'll confess I really don't care for eggplant very often but my partner enjoys it and I enjoyed this dish a lot more myself than I would have expected. I did take a lot of liberties and ended up more with eggplant parmesean with chicken instead of the original theme, but it's a good base recipe you can really run with.
Excellent dish. I did not have tomato paste, so I added a can of diced tomatoes. AND, I added garlic. My husband who does not normally eat eggplant very much enjoyed this.
I'm thrilled. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. No changes in the ingredients, so I am reviewing this recipe. In terms of process, I prefer to salt and sweat the eggplant. I always make the recipe as close to posted as possible and that is the one I review. Afterwards, I adapt it or change it for my taste. In this case, all I can say is thank you for posting a recipe that does not need to be tweaked.
We loved the very flavorful chicken and tomato part of this recipe so much. The eggplant was good, soft and tasty but overwhelming. The next time, I think I'll slice them smaller and maybe use only one or two eggplants instead of three. The taste was great. Very good dish and worthy of a repeat!
This recipe came out better then I expected. I followed the recipe almost to the letter, I added garlic to my chicken and onions, I read another review where someone added Black Olives I think I will do the same the next time. I could also see this recipe substituting fish for the chicken.
All in all this was a pretty tasty dish, however I found that placing the eggplant on the bottom and the chicken on top it dried out the chicken and left the eggplant super mushy. I made this a second time, but this time I placed the chicken on the bottom (and reserved some of the cooked tomato juice) and placed the eggplant on top, then topped everything off with the tomato juice. This left the chicken super moist and left some texture on the eggplant. I also topped with some feta cheese after cooking which added a little extra "umph". This paired well with the Wilted Spinach with Cherries and Goat Cheese recipe on this site.
I thought this was pretty good and something healthier to add to my rotation. I grilled both chicken and eggplant and sweat the eggplant with salt (and rinsing the salt off well)in a colander before grilling. I also tripled the sauce/liquids and it was just the right amount. When you have 3 eggplants and 6 chicken breasts you needa lot more liquid than 1/2 cup of water and 2 TBLSPS of tomato paste or it's going to end up extremely dry.
The flavour is very nice, but a little bland for us. Also to save on dishes I cooked the entire dish in a large frying pan. I sweated the eggplant first (no need to peel, the peel adds a lovely texture), then fried for a few min. and removed. I diced the chicken, added diced onions, garlic and red pepper and sauted. Add the tom. sauce and eggplant then simmer for about 10 min. No need to use the oven really. Definitely will make again!
There is nothing more satisfying than the compliments I just received from my husband. He loved the eggplant, the way the chicken was cooked, and the flavor. Easy too! I used whole chicken breast.
This was a decent healthy recipe. I ended up stir-frying the eggplant slices because they just wouldn't get fully cooked in the oven. I used 1 tsp. oregano and thought that was plenty for us. I would make this again as healthy but tasty dish.
Just the best. Who would have thought something with such few ingredients would taste so wonderful? I made a few minor changes: Used 1T of olive oil when baking the eggplant, added some minced garlic to the sauce as well as used some salt that had a bit of cayenne in it. I also sprinkled it with a little feta before serving. I used my regular method of preparing eggplant by salting in the colander instead of the soaking method.
Pretty good. I too added feta cheese, olives and garlic but next time I would cut the eggplant into cubes. I found it was a little too much in the strips. All in all a nice mediterranean dish!
This was a great recipe for eggplant. I wanted something different and this worked beautifully. I have also added a package of bernaise sauce which was wonderful. Leftovers can be pureed for a delightful creamy soup!
Very tasty. I enhanced the flavor with 3 large garlic cloves, dried whole leaf oregano (better flavor) and balsamic vinegar marinade for the chicken-per recommendations. I served with sticky white rice, and get this, melted monterey jack cheese on top of chicken/vegetables. Perfect! Overall good recipe made better with addt'l ingredients to enhance flavor.
I did as others had suggested. Sweated the eggplant out of water and marinated the chicken (lemon zest of one lemon, lemon juice, EVOO, balsamic vinegar). On top of the eggplant I added thin slices of feta. I also added a bunch of garlic when I cooked the chicken and onion. I used chicken broth instead of water and tomato sauce (because I had a little left over in frig). I added a pint of cherry tomatoes halved when I added the broth/sauce. It was awesome! Served next to rice and salad.
Pretty good, however, it seemed lacking in something. Next time, I will use only one eggplant. I had too many left over for the amount of chicken I had. As for the leftovers, I ground them up in a blender and added them with spaghetti sauce for a spaghetti dinner. That turned out very nice.
My husband and I both loved this. I have made it a few times since on the heart healthy diet. Last time I served with whole wheat tortillas and some grated parmasean cheese. Delicious! With leftovers made sandwiches for lunch the next day. Will be making again and again.
We love the eggplant sauce, but didn't care for the chicken -- it came out very dry. We now use this recipe sans chicken as a great sauce for grilled meats!
My husband and I loved this. Although we are not on a low-carb diet, we try to limit our intake of it, and this was perfect. I didn't have oregano, so I used curry, which gave it a little more mediterranean taste. I also added Mediteranean crumbles (kraft?) I will definitely make this again...even w/o the chicken.
Wonderful meal! I did have to make some changes. I only had one small baby eggplant on hand, so I chopped it up (and soaked it as the original instructions said to) and added in two chopped carrots and one chopped rib of celery. Coated all in a small amount of olive oil and sauted until the carrots were soft. Spread them in the bottom of a lightly oiled 9x13 pan. Marinated whole chicken breast tenders in Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. Cooked in skillet until mostly done, then arranged them on top of vegetables. I cooked the onion (used a mix of Spanish and green)in the same pan that I cooked the chicken in. Stirred in the tomato paste and water mixture and added dried oregano and a little bit of tumeric until just heated. Spooned over the chicken and baked, covered, for 15 minutes. Removed aluminum foil and sprinkled cheddar and mozzarella on top. Baked, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Served over rice. Husband and 4 year old son loved it (me too)! 7 year old daughter didn't, but she doesn't like anything new. Will definitely make again! Thanks for a great meal!
This was an easy delicious dish that my husband picked out and made. We did substitute red wine for the water as someone suggested. Also I had some thick leftover tomato sauce that we used instead of the paste. This is definitely a keeper. Yummy, yummy, yummy plates were clean.
This was good. Eggplant was a little mushy but I'll chalk it up to my first time ever cooking with eggplant. The only thing I did differently was I only used 4 chicken breasts (that's what I had.) And before baking I sprinkled the top with panko and parmasean. Then for the last few min I put it on broil without the cover. It was pretty good.
This was fantastic! Marinated the chick. in olive oil, lemon, med. seasoning & garlic. I used Basil, oregano and garlic tomato paste and used about 1/2 the can. Cooked the chicken in garlic and onion. Sprinkled the eggplant with feta, then the chicken when removing from oven. Really good!
I found this recipe to be pretty bland, and the eggplant was mushy. Perhaps if you add some more spices and whatnot to the sauce...
Excellent start for a good old fashioned recipe from the Med. I disagree with others about sweating the eggplant. This is how my grandmother always did it (soaking in salt water Don't boil it!,)and I've tried every variation under the sun and this is simple and gets the same result. Just soak it. It doesn't get soggy or soft. Anyway, skip the ricotta(this isn't eggplant Parmesan) ,and mix some goat cheese into the tomato paste instead, use chicken stock instead of water, and throw some green and a bit of chicken stock in the bottom of the baking dish. Serve with rice w/ some lentils. Yum
Loved this recipe! I took others suggestions and added feta cheese, cheyenne pepper and olives. Will certainly be making this one again.
Great dish! I didn't have the right sized pan so I just added more water and tomato paste and let it simmer on the stove. Sauteeing the eggplant gave it a wonderful almost roasted flavor. I used frozen chicken tenders instead of diced breats, cooked much faster and was still tender. I am going to try this with lamb, or with mushrooms but the chicken was great. Easily found ingrediants, and easy prep.
This dish was so easy and delicious! I did make some changes since I wanted an all in one casserole. I made double the sauce and added whole wheat penne and sprinkled shredded Parmesan over the top and baked. My picky husband raved! This is a keeper
Pretty darn good. I added a bit of spice and I honestly fear that if I didnt add the cayenne and chili pepper it wouldnt be as nice. I added alot more oregano as well.
We really enjoyed it, especially my husband. I added crushed red pepper for a little zip! We ate it with organic, long grain rice.
We had an Italian restaurant in the 80's...we NEVER boiled our eggplant. We sliced them about a 1/2 inch thick then salted them to make them "weep" and then processed them accordingly. If you boil the eggplant, you are removing way too much of the nutrients and it makes it super mushy. I also add freshly grated parmesean or romano cheese ~~~ you only need a little and it perks up the flavor of the dish!
This came out OK but not great. As some reviewers suggested, I used almost a whole can of tomato paste, which turned out to be too much. I was afraid that it would be too bland. I marinated the chicken in a combination of balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and a little olive oil, which gave it a nice flavor. I also put some cut up kalamata olives in the sauce which gave it a nice flavor. Dotted the eggplant layer with part slim ricotta
This was really good. My husband loved it! I added sliced carrots and black olives. I will definitely make this again.
I really enjoyed it and it works well with my diet. I made some changes, I made more sauce so I did 2.5 times the tomato paste sauce and added 1 tsp of garlic paste and some garlic powder. I also added 1 tsp fresh rosemary. Accompanied with white rice
Added a little Parmesan cheese on the top bc I love Parmesan with everything ?????. Delish.
Sautéed onions 20 min...still "raw", according to my husband. Eggplant RAW, even tho I sautéed at least 10 min prior to mixing/baking. Baked in 40poven for 40 minutes, still NOT COOKED WELL. Awful recipe..will NEVER reccomend or make again.
I made it all in one skillet then baked ... leaving out a step. Easy and DELICIOUS
added some garlic, black olives, thyme. tomato sauce w/o water instead of t. paste. served w/ pita...wife and daughter said good
This was the most bland Mediterranean dish I have ever tasted. I'll be taking the rest and turning it into fajita filling tomorrow. I did see the suggestions afterwards and should have followed some of those. If you make it as is it'll taste like cooked chicken with oregano and that's about it.
Easy to make. Healthy and tasty. You do have to adjust the spices to your personal taste though.
Maybe I missed something, but this did not turn out very flavorful. I ended up adding feta and it was delicious.
This recipe is really good. My husband asks for it often which is no problem b/c it's easy to make. I used diced tomatoes instead of sauce and added shredded Parmesan cheese at the end of baking and serve w/ rice and bread it's so great.
Absolutely delicious. I had no idea that boiling eggplant in slightly salty water would take away that nasty bitter taste. So, thank you for the tip! And I think the boiling also made the eggplant much softer than usual (it's typically pretty chewy, but maybe I just wasn't making it right), it literally melted in my mouth. Will definitely make this again.
If you dice eggplant, then saute, there is no need to " sweat "the eggplant. It will soften, yet remain firm, so Eureka, you can actually taste the eggplant! Much less fuss.
Awesome! When it was done cooking it out Parmesan cheese on top and broiled for 3 minutes! Really good! I’ll make this again!
This recipe was delicious! I took the advice of some of the reviewers and sweated the eggplant for roughly a half hour instead of submerging in water. I added two cloves of garlic to the chicken/onion mixture for added flavor and also added dollops of ricotta cheese to the tops of the eggplant medallions before adding the chicken mixture. The dish turned out much sweeter than I expected for a "Mediterranean" dish - this is not a negative criticism, just trying to establish accurate expectations. I paired it with a crisp summer salad (romaine, shredded carrots, strawberries, toasted walnuts, blue cheese, cherry tomatoes). In the future, I will go the route of bolder Mediterranean flavors both in seasoning the chicken and in the side salad (cucumber, tomato, mint, feta, kalamita olives, etc). A good recipe lends itself to varying tastes/regional influences; THIS is that recipe.
I tried this recipe but tweeked it with some of the suggestions that I read on other reviews. I followed the directions for the eggplant as stated in the recipe, I marinated boneless chicken thighs and cubed chicken breast in lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and crushed garlic ( jarred garlic in oil) for about 90 mins in the fridge, I grilled the eggplant on a cast iron grill and layed it in a big aluminum baking pan. Diced a sweet onion and sautéed with sliced fresh garlic, and then added a 14oz can of diced tomatoes and seasoned with dried Italian seasoning and diced scallions and sliced black olives. I then grilled the chicken on the same cast iron grill and set aside. Then spooned tomato mixture onto eggplant , then added crumbled feta cheese , and put the chicken on top of that , covered with foil and baked for 30-45 minutes and OMG it was a HOME RUN ! I made orzo and spooned the chicken mixture over it ...... YUMMY !!!!!
Made this and was somewhat disappointed. It was good but not excellent as so many claimed. Won’t be making again.
Great basic recipe. As others suggested I marinated the chicken in Balsamic first. I added 2 cloves of crushed garlic to the onion; then also oil packed sun dried tomatoes and capers (great combination) and black olives. Tastes were a little better the second day as the flavors merged. Next time I likely will use boneless chicken thighs for half the chicken.
My friends and husband all loved this but I tweaked a few things, great starter though! First I soaked the eggplant in salt instead of boiling them as previous articles stated, I cut the eggplant on the round width side so serving was easier. I also breaded the eggplant before pan frying and then lined the 9x13 pan with them. I put a layer of ricotta on top of that. I first had marinated the chicken in lemon/olive oil/and balsamic. When sauteing the chicken, I added 1/4 cup red wine, garlic and roasted red peppers along with everything the recipe calls for. Then filled the pan with the chicken mix and baked on 400° for 30 minutes. be careful with how much tomato paste you use bc it has a sweet aftertaste so you may need to add some salt before baking to pull that out. turned into more of an Italian meal than Mediterranean but it was delicious!
Not sure if Mediterranean flavors work for my family. I will try a different dish and see if it is received more warmly.
Very easy to make and very good.
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