Chicken with Creamy Roasted Eggplant

from Chow Bella

1 approximately 1 lb eggplant

1 tsp olive oil

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-2" pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 lg red bell pepper, chopped roughly

1 small onion, diced

1/2 cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes 

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

pinch ground red pepper or red pepper flakes

pinch of sugar, or to taste

1/2 tbsp minced parsley

juice of 1 small or half a large lemon

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Poke the eggplant with a fork and place on a baking tray lined with foil for easy clean-up. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn on the broiler to allow the skin to char slightly, rotating the eggplant to make sure it chars evenly. Remove from oven to cool slightly so it can be handled.

2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the hot saucepan. Cook the chicken until it is opaque.

3. Add the garlic, belle pepper, and onion to the chicken and cook until they are tender and the onions are transluscent.

5. Meanwhile, remove the eggplant from the pan to a bowl and peel off the skin and cut off the top. With a fork, mash and shred the eggplant.

4. Add the eggplant, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, pepper flakes, and sugar to the chicken mixture. Reduce the heat to medium and partially cover the saucepan with a lid. Simmer at least 15 minutes.

5. Taste the stew and re-season with salt, pepper, and sugar. Fold in the parsley and lemon juice. Serve immediately with rice or bread.

• Servings per recipe: 4

• Per serving:

• Calories: 198

• Fat: 3.1 g

• Saturated fat: 0.7 g

• Cholesterol: 66.4 mg

• Sodium: 311.7 mg

• Carbohydrate: 14.9 g

• Fiber: 4.7 g

• Sugars: 2.7 g

• Protein: 28.6 g