Warming Eggplant Chicken Recipe

Enjoy our comforting eggplant chicken recipe! This delicious dish combines tender chicken, flavorful eggplant, and aromatic spices in a fragrant sauce.

Try our soul-warming eggplant chicken! It's a delicious stew with tender chicken, tasty and soft eggplant, and fragrant spices.

We simmer the ingredients in a flavorful sauce, creating a mouthwatering combination of tastes and textures. This comforting dish will warm you up and keep you coming back for more.

And if you like eggplants as much as I do, check out: Eggplants in Tomato Sauce, Vinete - Eggplant Salad, Pasta Sauce with Eggplants, or Aubergine Spaghetti.

Recipe ingredients

• Eggplants: Soft and flavorful cubed eggplants; they become incredibly tender and add a delightful texture to the stew.
• Skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into cubes. They absorb all the delicious flavors of the stew.
• Canned tomatoes: Bring a rich and tangy taste, enhancing the overall depth of the dish.
• Aromatics: Onions and garlic.
• Chicken stock: I usually use homemade stock because I always have some in the freezer. However, store-bought low-sodium stock is great as well. Using low sodium when cooking a stew is preferable to avoid the dish being too salty once the liquid reduces a bit.
• Herbs de Provence: A combination of fragrant herbs reminiscent of the French countryside that makes the stew taste even better.
• Balsamic vinegar and a tiny bit of sugar make the flavors just right, balancing the richness and brightness of the dish.
• Cornstarch to thicken the eggplant and chicken stew. Thickening the stew is optional; depending on your pot and heat level, the sauce might naturally reduce enough, making cornstarch unnecessary.
• Other ingredients: Vegetable or olive oil, a pinch of red chili flakes, fine sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper.

How to cook this eggplant chicken recipe?

Prepare the ingredients:

• Eggplants: Wash, dry, and trim off their stem ends using a sharp knife. Cut them into equally-sized cubes, about ½-inch/ 1 ½ cm (1).
• Chicken thighs: Pat them dry with a paper towel and cut them into 1-inch/ 3 cm cubes (2).
• Chop the onions and the garlic.

Cook the stew:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or another large, thick-bottomed pot.
• Sauté the onions for about 3 minutes (3).
• Add chicken and sauté for another 6 minutes or so, turning the cubes occasionally so they can sear on all sides. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes (4).

• Simmer: Add eggplants and stir well to combine (5).
• Pour in the stock, add salt, pepper, dried herbs, and chili flakes. Cover and cook gently on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes (6).

• Add the canned tomatoes (7) and cook for about 10 minutes until the eggplants are soft. Make sure to check; uncooked eggplants are not nice.
• Thicken the sauce with a bit of cornstarch slurry (8). You might not need it all; stir it in gradually and stop when you think it is enough.

• Adjust the taste of your eggplant chicken with a bit of balsamic vinegar, a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper. I was generous with the salt because I used homemade stock; make sure you check the sauce and add salt accordingly.

Expert Tips

• When cubing the eggplant, try to make the pieces similar in size. This ensures even cooking and consistent texture throughout the stew.
• Also, ensure that the vegetables are soft when you stop cooking the stew; half-cooked eggplants are no joy; they should not disintegrate in the sauce but should be soft.

Storing and reheating your stew

• Refrigerate leftover eggplant chicken: Let it cool down first. Then, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Freezing: Use freezer-safe containers or freezer bags to store the stew. When properly stored, it can stay good for up to 3 months. Just thaw it in the refrigerator before reheating.
• Reheat eggplant chicken on the stove or in the microwave. Stir it occasionally to distribute the heat evenly. With a quick reheating, your stew will taste just as good as the first time you made it.

Recipe FAQ

What to serve with chicken and eggplant stew?

• My first choice is always Romanian polenta; it pairs perfectly with eggplant chicken. And we always serve the leftovers with fresh, crusty bread. But there are plenty of other choices.
• Side dish ideas: White or brown rice, couscous, bulgur, quinoa, garlic parmesan mashed potatoes, or pasta.
• Vegetable side dishes: Fresh salad with yogurt dressing, green tomato pickles, roasted, boiled, or steamed vegetables.

More chicken stews

Recipe

Warming Eggplant Chicken Recipe

Try our delicious eggplant chicken stew, a comforting dish with tender chicken and flavorful eggplant in a fragrant sauce.

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course, Poultry

Cuisine: Romanian

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 475kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Large Dutch oven or another thick-bottomed pot

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Ingredients 

• ▢ 2 eggplants about 1.3 lbs/ 600 g
• ▢ 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 900 g
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 large onions about 5.5 oz/ 150 g
• ▢ 2 large garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 cup chicken stock 230 ml Note 1
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence Note 2
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes more to taste
• ▢ 1 can diced tomatoes 14 oz/400 g
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch Note 3
• ▢ 1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar to taste
• ▢ a pinch of sugar
• ▢ fine sea salt or kosher salt
• ▢ ground black pepper

Instructions

• Eggplants: Wash, dry, and trim off their stem ends using a sharp knife. Cut them into equally-sized cubes, about ½-inch/ 1 ½ cm.

  2 eggplants
• Chicken thighs: Pat them dry with paper towels and cut them into 1-inch/ 3 cm cubes.

  2 lbs/ 900 g chicken thighs
• Chop the onions and the garlic.

  2 large onions + 2 large garlic cloves
• Sauté: Heat the oil in the pot and sauté the onions for about 3 minutes. Add chicken and sauté for another 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and searing the chicken on all sides. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for another 2 minutes.

  2 tablespoon oil
• Simmer: Add eggplants and stir well to combine. Pour in the chicken stock, add salt, pepper, Herbs de Provence, and chili flakes. Cover and cook gently on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

  1 cup/ 230 ml chicken stock + ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt + ½ teaspoon black pepper + 1 teaspoon dried herbs + ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
• Add the canned tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until the eggplants are soft. Make sure to check; uncooked eggplants are not nice.

  1 can tomatoes
• Thicken the sauce: Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Whisk the slurry into the sauce and let it bubble shortly to thicken the stew. You might not need it all; stir it in gradually and stop when you think it is enough.

  1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoon cold water
• Adjust the taste with 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (up to 2 tsp, to taste), a pinch of sugar, more salt, and pepper.

  1-2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar + a pinch of sugar + salt and pepper to taste

Notes

1. Chicken stock: I usually use homemade chicken stock, which I keep in the freezer. But store-bought low-sodium chicken stock works well too. Using low-sodium is better for stews, so they won't become too salty when the liquid reduces.
2. Herbs de Provence: You can replace them with other dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, marjoram, savory, or oregano. You can even use a combination of these herbs. If you have fennel seeds and like their taste, add a tiny pinch for extra flavor.
3. Cornstarch: You can thicken the stew, but it's not required. Depending on your pot and heat level, the sauce might naturally reduce enough, making cornstarch unnecessary.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion from 4 | Calories: 475kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 217mg | Sodium: 310mg | Potassium: 1459mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 4mg

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