Grilled Chicken Breasts with Eggplant, Shallots and Ginger Sauce
Eggplant is so strongly associated with the cooking of Italy and southern France that it is almost always prepared with olive oil and garlic. This need not be the case, of course, and with a few ingredient changes—like the addition of ginger—you can make a novel kind of “ratatouille,” which readily converts an ordinary boneless chicken breast into an unusual and appealing dish. Be sure to spend a few minutes thoroughly cooking the shallots before adding the eggplant, allowing them to brown and begin to soften; and don’t overcook the ginger.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the shallots and cut them in half the long way (most large shallots have two lobes anyway and will naturally divide in half as you peel them). If they are small, peel them and leave them whole. Start a grill or preheat the broiler.
Step 2
Put the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add the eggplant, salt, and pepper and lower the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant softens, about 15 minutes.
Step 3
When the eggplant begins to brown, add half the ginger and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the eggplant is very tender and the mixture fragrant. Meanwhile, rub the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and the remaining ginger. Grill or broil, about 4 inches from the heat source, for 3 minutes per side, or until done.
Step 4
If you’re using the cilantro, stir half into the eggplant mixture. Serve the chicken breasts on a bed of the eggplant and garnish with the remaining herb.
Variations
Step 5
For a more traditional dish, substitute garlic for the ginger (or use half of each to make the total) and revert to olive oil. Use fresh parsley in place of cilantro.
Step 6
Stir in a cup or more of seeded and chopped tomatoes at the last minute; these boost color as well as flavor, and the combination of tomatoes and ginger is another unexpectedly pleasant one. (Peel the tomatoes if you like, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort in this case.)
