It is no secret that most bloggers write and schedule posts for when they will be on vacation.
The Recipe ReDux monthly challenge for September falls on a day when I will be cruising into Vancouver. While extremely pertinent to what was going on in my kitchen when I wrote this post, the theme was all about making meals to freeze using vegetables or herbs grown in our garden or bought at a farmer's market, to be eaten down the line when one needs the help on a busy day.
Wow, that was a mouthful!!
The two dishes posted were actually using a batch of leftover Eggplant Parmesan that I made at the end of August from white eggplants picked that same day off my deck garden.
I hate to throw away good food and since I will be away for 3 weeks, it was necessary to clean out the fridge. Fresh foods needed to be prepped and made into meals eaten before vacation and any leftovers will be frozen for when we return and still want to extend that vacation feeling and not cook.
I have never used leftover Eggplant Parmesan because there usually isn't any. This time I made a big batch to use the abundance and with the leftovers I stuffed two chicken breasts and two large red peppers (also from my garden).
The Nudge raved about the chicken (which we ate right away) and told me I could sell that recipe....lol. He's such a sweet man.
I had to agree. This was the kind of dish that I would make a double batch of my eggplant Parmesan or this baked version just so I could have stuffing. I got to thinking......a heavily spiced baba ganoush & cheese mixture would also work and when I get back into the kitchen I am going test that out.
While the stuffed peppers require no recipe, the stuffed chicken was a one pot wonder which you should make soon.
Let's get cooking....
Eggplant Stuffed Chicken Breasts
makes 4 servings
* 2 (8oz) boneless chicken breasts
* 8oz portion Eggplant Parmesan
* 1 packet Knorr Red Pepper Pesto Sauce mix
* 1 cup chicken broth
* Olive oil
You will need:
metal/wood toothpicks or cotton kitchen twine
baking pan
1. Make a horizontal slice almost all the way through the chicken breasts. Open and pound each side to get an even surface. Repeat with the second breast.
2. Use half the eggplant to stuff each breast and secure with toothpicks or twine.
3. Spread the sauce mix into a baking pan and coat the chicken evenly on all sides, leaving the excess in the pan.
4. Add the broth to the pan and stir to mix. Place the chicken over the sauce and drizzle with olive oil.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Remove the foil, place the pan on a rack set in the highest position and bake an additional 10 minutes.
A thermometer placed into the stuffing should read 150°.
Remove the string or toothpicks and allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve with the sauce that was made while the chicken cooked.
Pasta, rice or quinoa makes a good side to soak up the juices.
