I think if I did this dish again, I would just roast the chicken and drizzle with a balsamic reduction afterwards, but this is only because of the color the marinade turns the chicken, and not the flavor. The flavor is definitely going to make you happy, so try this method of preparing your chicken and let me know what you think, (especially you, Laura O).
What you’ll need…
For the chicken:
4 chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, (evoo)
4 cloves garlic, mashed
1-2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar (18 years is best)
salt to taste
For the tomato puree:
1/2 cup roasted tomatoes
2-3 tsp rice vinegar
pinch cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
salt to taste
1/4 cup evoo
2 Tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
For the eggplant:
6 baby eggplant, halved, tops left on
2 tsp evoo
salt to taste
Put the oven on to 200˚F with the rack on the middle setting. Put the oil, garlic and salt in a small shallow pan, add the chicken and mix thoroughly. Pop the tray in the oven and let cook for 8 – 10 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure even cooking. Do not overcook the chicken, it may take more or less time, so check by cutting with the back of a spoon. If the chicken is done is will break easily. If it’s overcooked it will be like rubber. Oops! Meanwhile, put all the ingredients except for the evoo and sour cream into a blender, and blend for about 20 seconds. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, until you have a thick puree, add in the sour cream, adjust the seasoning if necessary, and you have enough puree to use in a few dishes. You can also thin with a little bit of water and/or olive oil to use as a dressing. This should take only a couple of minutes, so you can finish the eggplant at the same time. Get a non-stick saucepan up to med-high heat, and put the olive and some salt into the pan. When it is shimmering, add the eggplant, cut side down, and let brown, (no more than 2 minutes, but check as it depends on how hot your pan is and you don’t want to burn them). Flip them over and brown the other side, and then remove from the pan. These little guys will be pretty hot, so let them cool a bit before you bite into them.
To plate, simply lay down some of the puree, then the eggplant, and then some of the chicken with a few pieces of leftover roasted tomatoes. I put a few pieces of shaved swiss cheese to melt on top, drizzled with a tiny bit of olive oil, the aged vinegar and a new dish was born!
