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Rosemary Parmesan Chicken

Rosemary Parmesan Chicken & Eggplant

Easy baked chicken with tomato, eggplant and rosemary is a quick to cook dinner that everyone will love. Skin on chicken crisps up and looks golden. I have stuffed mine with a little piece of Parmesan as a tasty surprise. Serve it with a side of pasta, rice, quinoa or tiny roast potatoes
5 from 5 votes
Cuisine Italian Style
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Chicken breasts Skin on (this adds more flavour and colour)
  • 25 gm parmesan cut into 4 slices (to be stuffed inside the breast- optional)
  • 2 -3 sprigs of Rosemary
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 onion finely sliced
  • 1 small red capsicum
  • 4 Japanese Eggplants (the long skinny ones or 1 small eggplant)
  • 40 ml olive oil (2 Tablespoon)
  • 500 ml Tomato passata 2 cups puree
  • salt and pepper
  • 100 gm Parmesan cheese - or more if you like
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Set the oven to 180 C / 350 F
  • Cut the Japanese eggplants in half and toss them in some olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for 10 minutes or till golden. Alternatively you can pan fry them till softened. Set aside on some kitchen paper.
  • I cut a slit with a paring knife into the thickest part of the chicken breast and slide in a slice of parmesan.
  • Dry the breasts with a paper towel and put into a bowl with a Table spoon or two of oil and the leaves from 1 of the sprigs of rosemary. Sprinkle with a 1/2 teaspoon salt and a grind of black pepper.
  • Heat the skillet or baking dish to very hot and add the Chicken skin side down. Leave the Chicken like that till it is very dark golden just lifting the corners each couple of minutes to check. While the chicken is browning add the finely sliced onion in the spare spaces of the pan and move them around till they start to soften. Add the garlic and the extra sprig of rosemary and keep moving it.

( Prepare the pasta, rice or Quinoa)

  • The chicken will keep cooking and you can move the onion around in the spaces till it is softened.** and onion should take about the same time to
  • Now turn off the heat, turn the chicken over and add the tomato sauce.
  • Add the eggplant around the sides and middle between the chicken
  • Then sprinkle with the grated parmesan
  • Put the skillet into the hot oven and bake for 10 minutes . The chicken will be done in this time but check the interior temperature by skewering with a knife and feeling that the tip of the knife feels hot. Still unsure,? Put a cut into one piece of chicken through the thickest part. Chicken breast cooks very quickly and drys out just as quickly.
  • Serve with Quinoa or pasta.

Notes

The baking time for the chicken is not long enough to roast the eggplant till soft.
** If you do not have a pan big enough you should put the chicken on a plate one browned and soften the onion then add the garlic before adding the chicken bake into the skillet.