30 minute Meal: Eggplant & Chicken Sandwiches

A riff on the classic dishes, Chicken Parmesan & Eggplant Parmesan, all rolled in to one sandwich that will have dinner on the table in 30 minutes!

Eggplant & Chicken Sandwiches

Sandwiches are on the menu for tonight's 30 minute meal.  They are a great summer dish when the heat is scorching and you want something light to eat.  This is a variation of the classic Parmesan dishes of Chicken and Eggplant all rolled in to an open faced sandwich.

The flavors of Italy come together in this easy to make sandwich of pan fried chicken cutlets and eggplant topped with store bought tomato-basil sauce and melted mozzarella cheese.  Throw in some spinach and some crusty bread and you have the makings of one heck of a sandwich. 

For the bread I bought a round uncut loaf of Italian County bread.  I cut two long slices across the loaf and then cut each slice in half giving me four pretty large pieces that would fit the chicken cutlets.  Once toasted these became the base of my sandwich.  This sandwich is open faced, as it doesn't have bread on the top.  The ingredients sit on the bottom bread and you will need to use a knife and fork to eat this.  You can always top it with another piece should you choose.

I served this sandwich along side a simple garden salad.  This meal is perfect for any summer night and done in 30 minutes!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts - you can buy thin sliced chicken or regular breasts that you can slice in half to make 2 thin breasts out of each one.

• eggplant - I bought small Chinese eggplant and sliced them in to long strips.  A globe or Italian eggplant will work by cutting 4 slices.

• Italian Country bread loaf or Sourdough loaf - I bought an uncut round loaf of country bread and sliced 2 long slices.  Then I cut each slice in half so I had four slices.  I made sure each slice would hold a piece of chicken and the eggplant without too much run off.

• baby spinach

• tomato basil pasta sauce - buy your favorite brand 

• shredded mozzarella - I bought a ball of whole mozzarella and shredded some.

Substitutions and Variations

• Bread:  Use a loaf or sandwich sized ciabatta bread. This would be delicious. Even slices of rosemary focaccia would be tasty.

• Chicken:  try breading the chicken in flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs instead of pan frying it.

• Prosciutto:  Try layering pieces of prosciutto instead of the chicken for a different spin.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Serve with a simple side salad of spinach, tomatoes, mixed greens, cucumber, and balsamic vinaigrette.

• If you have leftovers it's best to keep all the ingredients separate and placed in the refrigerator that way, building the sandwich when you are ready to eat it.

• Cutting the bread:  Use an Italian Country bread loaf or sourdough loaf - you want a round loaf that is uncut.  This allows you to control the thickness.  Since this is an open faced sandwich you want the bread slice to be a little on the thick side to hold all the ingredients.  I cut each long slice in half so I had four slices, making sure they were long enough so that the chicken wasn't bigger than the bread slice.

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Eggplant & Chicken Sandwiches

serves 4

Salt & pepper to taste 
4 thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 round slices of eggplant or multiple long slices of Chinese eggplant
4 slices of Italian County bread or sourdough (I used a large loaf and cut each long slice crosswise into 2 slices that would fit the chicken)
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup tomato basil pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Sprinkle salt & pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts.

In a large skillet over medium heat add 2 Tablespoons of oil.  Add chicken cutlets and cook 4-5 minutes per side until no long pink.  Remove from the skillet.  Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil.  Turn heat up to medium high.  Add eggplant and cook, flipping once until tender, about 4-5 minutes per side.  

Toast 4 slices of bread. Top with spinach, chicken, sauce, eggplant, and mozzarella.  Place on a baking sheet and broil until heated through and the cheese has melted, about 3-4 minutes.

Summer Fresh Recipe Series: Spicy Grilled Eggplant

Grilled eggplant graced with just the perfect amount of lime and spicy heat makes this a side dish that's hard to resist.

Well it's September and we're having a heat wave in Los Angeles, breaking temperature records all over the place.  It was 118 degrees yesterday so it's safe to say that summer's not over by a long shot.  So we are grilling out hearts out trying to keep the meals simple and the house cool.

Labor day is tomorrow and today's recipe is a wonderful summer side dish.  As my 18th installment of my Summer Fresh Recipe Series (which is soon coming to a close), this features eggplant as the star of the dish.   Eggplant is a great vegetable that can be cooked in a variety of ways.  Today we are prepping it with a spicy rub and grilling it for outstanding flavor!

This would be the perfect side dish for any grilled meat, and would go great with the Grilled Ranch Chicken Burgers for a nice Labor day cookout.  Eggplants are perfect for grilling.  Their skin becomes soft once cooked and the flesh inside is meaty and tender.  We used lime juice and Cajun seasoning which adds the right amount of flavor and heat. 

You can't beat this as a side dish, one that everyone will be choosing over all the others.

Enjoy!

Summer Fresh Recipe Series

• Carrot and Almond Bulgur Salad
• Tomato Avocado & Grilled Corn Salad
• Spinach Orzo Salad with Chickpeas 
• Cherry Almond Muffins
• Watermelon Salad Mediterranean Style
• Chicken Fajita Kabobs
• Refreshing Melon Salad
• Peach Blueberry & Ginger Crisp
• Grilled Sirloin Steak with Garlic Herb Vinaigrette
• Grilled Vegetable Platter
• Sirloin Steak topped with Herb Salsa with Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
• Lemon Blueberry Scones
• Grilled Honey Ginger Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apricots & Brocollini
• Lemon Raspberry Dutch Baby
• Simple Mediterranean Salad
• Grilled Chicken Kofta
• Greek Cobb Salad

Spicy Grilled Eggplant

serves 8

1 large or 2 small eggplants, cut into 1/2" rounds
1/4 c olive oil
2 Tbsp lime juice
3 tsp Cajun seasoning

Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil.  Drizzle with lime juice and sprinkle on the Cajun seasoning. Grill over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes per side.

source:  Taste of Home American Summer Cookbook

Grilled Vegetables vs. Roasted Vegetables

Lovin' the veggies!

The best way to eat them?  Seasonally.  If you eat what's in season your vegetables will be at their peak flavor, providing you with the best tasting dishes.  During the summer my favorite way to cook them is grilling.  We were grilling veggies all summer long, inside on the grill pan, and outdoors on the BBQ.  Some of my favorite summer veggies that repeatedly showed up in my house were:  Eggplant, Yellow Summer Squash, Zucchini, Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, and Corn.

During the fall months and into the holidays I love to roast my veggies.  I love how roasting caramelizes them and brings that sweet wonderful flavor you can't find in other methods of cooking.  Some of my favorites are:  Acorn Squash, Beets, Yams, Sweet Potatoes, Bell Peppers, Celery Root, and Pumpkin. 

Let's talk about grilling.
Grilling is cooking over a direct heat source such as a fire or gas grill.  Grilling brings out vegetables natural sugars while infusing a smokiness   A key to grilling vegetables is to cook them briefly and simply on a hot indoor, or outdoor grill. 

 - Oil your vegetables for added flavor and to prevent sticking

 - A small grill pan or basket works well in grilling smaller vegetables that may fall through the rack.

 - Cook over medium-high to high heat for about 5-6 minutes per side, looking for some charred surfaces.

 - Good with a sprinkle of herbs or a citrus splash.  A light vinaigrette or sauces are also a good choice as a topping.

Here are some of my grilled summer veggies:

Let's talk about roasting.
Roasting is a dry-heat oven cooking method, using an open pan.  You can roast many items such as meat, fish, fruits and vegetables.  Roasting takes little prep work and once it is in the oven, it does all the work for you!  The high heat used in roasting allows the food sugars to form on the surface or carmelizing, and gives you that sweet flavor and brown crust, while the inside stays tender. 

 - Cook at a high temperature, usually 450 degrees, for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. You can toss or turn half way through the cooking cycle.

 - Vegetables are usually coated with  a little olive oil or melted butter to promote browning and keep them from drying out.  Season with salt & pepper or your favorite herb mixture for added flavors.

 - Use a roasting pan that is just large enough so that the vegetables are all lying flat and there is some space in-between.  Overcrowding will result in steaming instead.

Here are a combination of roasted yams, sweet potato, and pumpkin:

 

Kitchen tip #1:  Make sure to cut your vegetables in uniform sizes so that the food cooks evenly, and at the same rate.  Smaller pieces tend to cook best as they reduce the roasting time and allow for a deeper carmelization.

Kitchen tip #2:  when roasting pumpkin choose a small pumpkin which are sweeter and lend better to cooking.  Varieties to look out for are Sugar Pie, Baby Bear, or Cheese pumpkins.  The large ones don't cook very well.

Make sure to eat your veggies!!!



Here's another wonderful salad perfect for summer!

This salad is a take on the traditional Italian dish, Panzanella, which is a salad made with ingredients such as tomatoes and bread.  I love Panzanella and I first tried it when my Mom and I went to Italy.  So popular in Rome, this dish made such an impression that I've been making a traditional version for years.  But...this time I wanted to twist it up a bit by adding grilled vegetables.  Ones that you would typically find in a Ratatouille.  The combination is outstanding!

To make it interesting I used a cheese focaccia bread that I grilled and then cubed.  It gives the salad extra flavor and a little flair!  If you can't find the cheese focaccia, a good crusty Italian country bread will be perfect, or crusty french bread for that matter.  

The grilled vegetables bring depth of flavor to the salad.  Eggplant, zucchini, red onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes taste wonderful grilled.  Other special additions are little cubes of mozzarella and a killer vinaigrette.  There is nothing better than bringing fresh seasonal ingredients together in a different combination that allows their flavors to just shine and be the star of the dish!

All together this salad is a winner!  You can put this together in under 30 minutes.  It's great for a weeknight meal and for those that want to enjoy a meatless dish. 

I hope you love this dish as much as we did!

Cheese Focaccia Panzanella with Grilled Ratatouille

Makes: 4 servings

½ lb. assorted sweet peppers, halved and seeds and membranes removed

1 eggplant, cut into ½ inch thick slices

½ lb zucchini, cut lengthwise into thin strips

½  red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

2 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded

1/3 of a loaf of cheese foccacia, split in half and cut each half in to 4 pieces (8 pieces total) 

2 T olive oil

¼ t salt

¼ t ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, halved

1/3 c olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

1 T finely shredded lemon peel

6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cubed

Salt & pepper

½ c chopped parsley

Lightly brush all sides of the peppers, eggplant, zucchini, onion, tomatoes, and bread slices lightly with the 2 tablespoons oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   Grill vegetables in a grill pan over medium heat until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning occasionally.   About 10 minutes total.  Remove vegetables from grill.   Allow to cool enough to handle.  Cut vegetables into 1-inch pieces.   Set aside.

Grill bread about 4 minutes or until browned and crisp, turning occasionally.   Cool slightly.   Rub bread with cut sides of garlic.  Cut into 1 inch pieces. 

Place grilled vegetables in a large bowl.  Add bread to vegetables.

For dressing, in a small mason jar add 1/3 cup oil, the vinegar, and lemon peel.  Shake to blend.   Season to taste with salt and black pepper.   Add the dressing to the grilled vegetables and bread.  Add your cubed mozzarella.   Toss gently to combine.   Toss with parsley and serve.

linked to:  Full Plate Thursday
Weekend Potluck