Eggplant Stuffed with Shredded Chicken
Berenjenas Rellenos con Pollo DeschebradaEggplant is grown in Mexico and available in many markets for home cooks. A few restaurants offering nueva cocina—creative dishes combining old and new Mexican food traditions—have begun adding Mexican-style eggplant to their menus. In Puebla, I had small thin pieces of fried eggplant served with a green salad. In Guanajuato, baked eggplant halves were stuffed with tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, onions, and shredded chicken, as in this dish.
Ingrediënten
Makes 4 servings
- Shredded Chicken
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes peeled and finely chopped
- 1 to 2 jarred pickled jalapeño chiles en escabeche, seeded and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup grated manchego or asiago cheese
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructies
- Prepare the shredded chicken.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.
- With a sharp knife, score the cut side of the eggplant, but do not cut through the skin.
- Sprinkle the cut sides with ½ teaspoon of the salt, turn cut side down and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Rinse the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of the oil all over the eggplant and place on a baking sheet.
- Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
- When cool enough to handle scoop out the eggplant pulp, leaving the skin and about ½ inch of pulp intact.
- Reserve the eggplant shells.
- Finely chop the pulp with a knife and reserve.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet and cook the onion, stirring, until it starts to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Add the tomato, jalapeño, oregano, cumin, and reserved chopped eggplant.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the reserved shredded chicken.
- Fill the eggplant halves with the chicken stuffing.
- Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Mix the cheese, bread crumbs, and parsley.
- Sprinkle on top of the eggplant shells.
- Bake in preheated oven until the eggplant shells are soft and the filling is hot and golden brown on top, about 25 minutes.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve hot or at room temperature.
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