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.

Comfort Food: Chicken Piccata

Chicken cutlets cooked and doused with a silky pan sauce that features, lemon juice, wine, and garlic.  A quick and easy dish that will bring you healthy yet comfort feels on a winter night.

Chicken Piccata

Need a quick and easy chicken dish that's also healthy to start off the New Year?  I've got an classic one for you.  Chicken Piccata  Just a few simple steps create a dish every bit as good as restaurant versions, ready to serve alongside a towering green salad and a simple whole wheat pasta or good loaf of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Piccata is the method by which a meat is floured, browned, and served with a sauce.  In this case my version contains lemon, wine, chicken broth, and garlic.  Typically capers are included in the original version, but I ran out of them.  Try adding some for a briny/salty bite to the dish.

Easy enough for a weeknight, Chicken Piccata is one dish that you will love and have you feeling all cozy.  It's a perfect healthy comfort food.

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, or thin cutlets

• all purpose flour

• butter

• reduced sodium chicken broth

• cornstarch

• white wine

• garlic

• lemon

• parsley

Substitutions and Variations

• You can omit the wine, use a little more chicken broth.

• Omit the garlic it you would like. It's not in the original dish but the small amount give the sauce more depth of flavor.

• Add some fresh thyme to the sauce.

• Use chicken thighs, veal or pork cutlets.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Make sure your cutlets are even in height.  If not pound them to even them out.  They will cook evenly and quickly.

• Have the sauce ingredients ready to go while you are cooking the chicken.

• Set up you dredging station next to your hot skillet so you can dredge and go straight in to the skillet with each piece.

• Lightly flouring the cutlets lets them brown quickly without overcooking and helps thicken the sauce.

• Cooking in a combination of butter and oil will result in golden browned meat.

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Chicken Piccata

serves 4

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make cutlets
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup white wine
1 garlic clove, minced
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
lemon slices - (optional)
parsley chopped (optional)

On a plate or in a pie pan stir together flour, salt and pepper. Dip chicken into flour mixture, turning to coat, shaking off the excess flour.   In a ;arge skillet heat oil and butter over medium-high. Add chicken; cook 8 to 9 minutes, flipping at midpoint, until done (165 degrees F). Remove from skillet to a platter and cover with foil.  

Meanwhile, in a liquid measuring cup stir together broth and cornstarch and set aside.  Add garlic and wine tothe skillet, cook and stir up the brown bits 1 minute.  Wine will reduce.  Stir in cornstarch/broth mixture. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer 1 minute or until thick. Stir in lemon juice and zest.  

Drizzle chicken with sauce and top with lemon slices and a parsley.  Serve.

Southern Style Chicken Piccata

Thin chicken breasts dredged in breadcrumbs and sautéed until golden and crispy, then smothered in an addictive lemon-wine pan sauce.  Fabulous!

I can't believe that I've never posted a recipe for Chicken Piccata!  As much as I love everything lemon and as easy of a weeknight dinner as this dish is, I sure am slow to provide you with my version of Chicken Piccata.  Well today's the day.

My version is more of a Southern Style way to bread and cook the chicken.  The south loves everything breaded and Chicken Piccata is no exception.  Typically you would just dredge pounded thin chicken breasts in flour and then sauté them in a skillet.  We are taking it one step further and creating 3 dredging stations:  flour, eggs, and Italian breadcrumbs.  This creates a coating similar to fried chicken and results in a wonderfully crispy crusted chicken.  

For the sauce I used a combination of broth and wine, along with the lemon to make a tangy and fabulous sauce to pour over the chicken.  Again the original dish calls for capers in the sauce but I left those out.  You could certainly add those back in if you prefer.

I dare say my Southern Style version of Chicken Piccata is really outstanding.  The chicken turns out crispy and the sauce is to die for.  This comes together in under 30 minutes and if perfect for a weeknight meal, Sunday supper, or for when company comes.  This version of an essential Italian dish should be one kept on hand in your recipe arsenal.

Enjoy!

Southern Style Chicken Piccata

serves 4

4 thin cut boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs 
1 cup Italian seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 Tablespoons olive oil + 1 Tablespoon butter 
1/4 cup white wine 

1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth 

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons  butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon slices for serving

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Create you dredging stations.  To one shallow bowl add the flour.  To another, add the eggs and beat until combined.  To a third bowl add the breadcrumbs and the paprika.  Mix together to combine.

Dredge chicken in the flour, shake off excess and dip in the eggs.  Allow excess egg to drip off and then place in the breadcrumbs and coat both sides.  Place these on a baking sheet and continue the process for the other chicken breasts.

Heat olive oil  and butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the chicken breasts and cook until done and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from the skillet to a plate.

Add the wine, chicken broth, and lemon juice to the pan and scrape up any brown bits in the bottom.  Bring the sauce to a boil and allow to reduce by 1/2.  This should take several minutes.  Season with salt & pepper to taste.  Turn off the heat and add the butter, and stir until melted.  Add chicken back to the skillet and coat both sides.

Serve chicken on a platter adding remaining sauce of the top.  Add a slice of lemon for garnish and serve.  

adapted from: Grandbaby Cakes

Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips

Yum

Boy did I have a craving today!  Do you ever get those?

Out of the blue I started to crave chicken strips.  You know the kind.  The ones that kids are so fond of.  The ones that you dip in some tasty sauce and gobble down with a grin on your face?  Oh yea, those!

So what do you do when a craving is so strong?  Stop by the local fast food joint....I think not!  You make your own wonderful crispy juicy chicken strips.  That's right, they are simple to make and they taste 1000 times better.  Why bother with those deep fried things that may or may not be all chicken when you can have the real deal, only better.  I'll show you how...in under 16 minutes!

Grab your chicken breasts and cut them into strips.  Or if you have chicken tenders that's perfect as well.  We're going to turn these babies into some wonderful tasty Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips.

All you need is a skillet, oil, chicken and a coating mixture (eggs, flour, panko, and Parmesan)  You'll have a nice lunch or dinner on the table in no time.  A quick pan fry ensure tender yet crispy results.  And don't forget the dipping sauce.  It's crucial in my book.  Honey mustard, or in my case a nice ranch sauce is a must. 

This is one dish the kiddos will love and ask for more...even the whole family will enjoy them.

And if you happen to have leftovers (possibly not with these) they are the perfect take along for picnics or roll them up in a wrap with some lettuce and carrots, or even cut and tossed into a salad.  Heaven!

One last note:  I hope that everyone is enjoying their Father's Day and honoring those that are still with us, and thinking of those that are not.  I love my dad and miss him dearly.  Happy Father's Day!




Crispy Parmesan Chicken Strips

serves 4

½ cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1½ cups panko bread crumbs
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch strips, or chicken tenders
¼ cup vegetable oil

Dipping Sauce:  honey mustard, BBQ, or Ranch sauce (optional)

Add flour to a shallow pan, eggs beaten to another pan, and the panko bread crumbs and Parmesan into a third pan.  This will become your dredging station.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Take your chicken strips and place them first into the flour, 1 or 2 at a time, coating both sides.  Dip them into the egg, and then finally into the panko mixture.  Add them to the hot oil and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through.  Repeat with all remaining chicken strips.

Remove cooked chicken and place on a paper towel lined plate to drain off any excess oil.  Serve warm with dipping sauce.

Parmesan Chicken with a Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Time for another healthy, fresh, yet quick dinner...

This is a fresh spin on Chicken Parmesan without all the ooey, gooey loveliness that I adore.  I really do love a good Chicken Parmesan dish.  As a matter of fact I recall someone saying that this is the dish they order each time they go to a new Italian restaurant, judging the restaurant on how well they make it! Hmm...funny how I think about that every time I order one too.

Today's rendition has all the flavors of the traditional without the calories.  Bringing in fresh tomatoes instead of a marinara sauce, and substituting fresh mozzarella balls for the melted cheese (hail to melted cheese..oops!) makes this dish light and bright and easy to assemble.  So the traditional is for another day.  Today we are going springtime fresh, quick and tasty!

Serve this quick dinner with a nice chopped Italian salad and some pita wedges and you are all set.  I hope you really enjoy this version.  It was a hit all around the block at my house.

If you're in the mood for the original version, I make a mean Chicken Parmigiana which you can find here.



Parmesan Chicken with a Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Serves 4

1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 (4 ounce) chicken cutlets or thin cut breasts
Salt and pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) cherry tomatoes, halved (I used mixed colors)
7 oz container fresh mozzarella balls, Bocconcini, cut in half
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil

Place flour in a breading dish or pie plate. Beat eggs in a pie plate. Combine panko and Parmesan in a third pie plate. Make sure chicken is about 1/4" thick, if not pound to attain thinness.  Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, then coat with panko mixture, pressing to adhere.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil and 1 Tablespoon of butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook cutlets, 2 at a time until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.  Add another 1 Tablespoon of oil and remaining 1 Tablespoon of butter to the skillet and heat.  Add remaining cutlets and cook 2 minutes per side.

Toss tomatoes, mozzarella, garlic, balsamic vinegar, basil and remaining 1 Tablespoon oil together in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. To serve, place chicken on a dinner plate and top with the tomato-mozzarella salad. 

Chicken Amandine

 

I'm so excited to bring you this recipe today!

The reason being is that I got a new cookbook...woohoo!

On a whim I picked up a copy of Michael Symon's 5 in 5:  5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners.  Of course I'm familiar with his cooking from the Food Network however, I've really come to like his style watching him on The Chew.  I mean, who can resist that laugh?  He has such a great sense of humor, and breaks down cooking so that the home cook can easily prepare delicious fresh meals.

I was so excited to get his book and try out his dishes.  I eagerly thumbed through it picking my first dish, Chicken Amandine.  A quick yet scrumptious dish great during the week but elegant enough for company.  

Plus...I had every ingredient on hand.  Love that!

This dish blew me away...

I had no idea it was this easy to make something so elegant and that tastes so darn good.  It just goes to show you that you don't need a lot of fancy ingredients...you just need a few that pack a lot of flavor.  

One trick to this dish is that you need to pound the chicken to 1/4" thickness as he says in order to cook this quickly.  Otherwise you will add on quite a bit of cooking time in order to fully cook a thicker chicken breast.

Here's what Michael says about this dish in his book:  "This elegant and classic dish looks and tastes like it's more difficult and time-consuming to prepare than it really is.  What makes this so appealing are the buttery, crunchy, toasty almonds.  Browning the almonds in butter really gives the nuts and the entire dish incredible depth and richness".  

So true.  

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we did.  Stay tuned for another Michael Symon's 5 in 5 dish coming this week.


Chicken Amandine

slightly adapted from Michael Symon's 5 in 5:  5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners

serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4' thickness (he uses skin on breasts)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter
1/2 c sliced almonds
Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1/4 c roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Put a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Add the olive oil to the preheated pan.  Arrange all 4 pieces of chicken in the pan and cook until golden brown about 3 minutes.  Flip and cook 1 minute.  

Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter and almonds and cook until they begin to brown about 30 seconds.  Add 1/2 cup of water, the orange zest and juice and cook until slightly reduced about 30 seconds.  Taste and adjust the seasoning adding salt and pepper as needed.  

Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the parsley and serve. 

Chicken Cutlets with Almond Butter

 

This dish does double duty...

It's a quick and easy weeknight meal...and...it's elegant enough to serve company.  

What's better than that?  You can whip up a quick dish any night of the week and treat your family to a restaurant style meal.  Or, you can save a load of time when you entertain friends by making this dish and still leave them impressed by your ability to make a wonderful tasting meal.

The key to quickly cooking this dish are the thin slice chicken breasts, often called cutlets.  You can buy them thin sliced in the store or you can make your own by taking a half chicken breast and slicing it through the width of the breast so you have two full thin pieces.  Thin cutlets cook up really quick so you need to watch them and not over cook them or they will dry out and become tough.

The other thing that makes this dish special is the sauce.  It's not made with Almond Butter (a different version of peanut butter) as the name implies, but with BUTTER, and slivered almonds.  It's okay!  You can live a little and use butter to make this wonderful sauce.  Just don't eat this everyday!  The sauce is silky and smooth and is wonderful over the chicken.  This pan sauce makes this dish!

Served beside roasted potatoes and green beans this is a wonderful meal!  Stay tuned for the side dish recipe up next.

Enjoy!

Chicken Cutlets with Almond Butter

serves 4
adapted from Cuisine at Home

Ingredients

2 T flour

4 boneless skinless chicken cutlets (thin sliced breasts)

salt & pepper

1 T canola oil

1/4 c almonds, slivered

1/2 c dry white wine or chicken broth

4 T butter

2 T chives, chopped

Place flour in a pan.  Season cutlets with salt and pepper.  Dredge cutlets in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; saute chicken until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side; remove and set aside.

Add almonds to pan and toast, about 3 minutes.  Add wine or chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan; allow to simmer until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.  Off the heat stir in butter until melted and sauce thickens.  Add chives to sauce.  Divide sauce among each serving of chicken. 

Caesar Feta Chicken

The other day we explored Pan Frys 101.

How did everyone enjoy the Buffalo Chicken?  It's really is a kicker of a dish!

Today I'm making this short and sweet with another Pan Fry recipe.  This one is equally as delishhh!

 

Caesar Feta Chicken is so full of flavor that it will leave you wanting more.

Again, another simple dish using Caesar dressing, feta cheese, and tomatoes.  The whole dinner can be made and on the table in less than 30 minutes.  Can't tell you how much I LOVE that on a busy weeknight.   Serve it alongside a nice orzo pasta with sun dried tomatoes and olives and dinner is on!

What is your favorite way to pan fry chicken?  Love to hear your ideas.

Caesar Feta Chicken

serves 4

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c Caesar dressing
1 c diced tomato
1/2 c feta cheese, crumbled

Pound chicken between wax paper or plastic wrap to 1/4 inch in thickness.  Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add Caesar dressing and allow to heat.

Add chicken to skillet and cook about 10 minutes, turning once.  During the last 2 - 3 minutes of cooking sprinkle chicken with diced tomato and feta cheese.  Cover and cook another minute to soften cheese.  Serve immediately.