chicken {eggplant + basil}

One of the reasons I attended the IACP conference in April was to learn how to be a better blogger. I feel like I’ve gotten into this blogging thing very casually. I never really had a plan, and I certainly didn’t think ‘oh, this topic will certainly bring in a lot of hits.’ In fact, most of the posts that I think are most interesting turn out to be the least popular.

So I was very happy to sign up for the session entitled ‘What the Internet Eats’. In other words, what do people searching around the internet for recipes look for?  Because I obviously had no idea.

Want to know the answer? (Well, you probably already know it since you are the ones being counted.) Turns out most people just want a good chicken recipe. Or any chicken recipe, really. (Thank you Faith Durand for presenting all the facts and figures)

I guess I should have known this already, since one of my very earliest posts – Chicken Lizzie – continues to be one of the most visited on this blog. I always thought is was some sort of a fluke. I mean, Chicken Lizzie was just  (what I thought) an extremely ordinary dish I made throughout high school, for my family. It wasn’t any of the (what I thought) cool things I’m making these days,  like baked sardines, cardoon gratin or even some delicious cocktail. It was basically baked chicken.

It’s not that I don’t make chicken often, it’s just that I usually think it’s not worth blogging about. So in my effort to be a better blogger, I hereby vow to give you more of what you want.

Which is evidently chicken.

While I do a lot with chicken when thinking Indian, Chinese or Thai, the following recipe is a variation on my go to Italian chicken dish. I say variation, because it almost always changes depending on what vegetable I decide looks good in the market.

The constants are always dark meat, bone-in, skin-on chicken, garlic and white wine.

A side bar about chicken: I have almost no use what so ever for boneless, skinless chicken breast. Even if they are coming from an organic farmer, I can’t think of anything more boring. So, to answer your question ahead of time: no, you can’t make this recipe by substituting boneless, skinless chicken breast. If you must have white meat, then please, please use bone-in, skin-on, breasts.

And another side bar about white wine: I’ve read as many articles and books as you have that say ‘if you wouldn’t drink the wine, don’t cook with it.’ Really? Maybe this holds true for some dishes, but believe me, in this dish, a simple vino da tavola works just fine. In fact, I’ve taken to buying six packs of the little cardboard juice box type containers of Tavernello to use in cooking.  Yes. You read that correctly. Tavernello. The supermarket wine. This way I always know I have a cup of white wine on hand, especially if I don’t feel like opening one of my good bottles just to cook with. While I’m sure the taste is not ‘refined’, I’m not looking for refined here. I’m looking for that trattoria taste, which Tavernello delivers just fine.

The success of this dish depends a lot on really browning your chicken. Before you start, make sure your chicken is very dry. Heat the olive oil, and once hot, put in the chicken. Be patient. Let it truly brown before turning it over. If it’s still sticking to the pan, it’s not ready to be flipped yet. It’s those brown bits that are going to give the dish so much flavor.

This past week the first eggplants hit the stands at the market, so that was what went into the dish. In the past I’ve done this with zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and even asparagus. Each time, using just one vegetable. And each time, the result is very different.

A ridiculously large amount of basil is totally extravagant but also totally delicious. In this recipe think of the basil almost as a second vegetable, rather than an herb. Or, better yet, along with the garlic, a kind of deconstructed pesto.

So there you have it. A ridiculously easy chicken recipe. Which I would never have thought to blog about. But it is delicious. And (evidently) you did ask for it.

chicken with eggplant and basil
(serves 4)

4 chicken thighs
4 chicken legs
3 medium sized eggplants, cubed
1/4 – 1/3 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
salt, pepper
1.5 cups white wine
1 cup water (or more)
2 bunches of basil (about 2 cups leaves)

Wash and dry the chicken pieces very well. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a pan large enough to hold all the chicken pieces without crowding. The olive oil should come up about a 1/4 inch on the side of the pan.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken. Keep the heat fairly high, so that the chicken really browns well. Don’t turn the chicken over until the first side is browned. If it is still sticking to the pan, it’s not browned yet.

Once the chicken is well browned (this should take about 12 to 15 minutes) take it out and set it aside. With the oil still hot, add the eggplant, and stir. Turn the heat down a bit, and let the eggplant cook. At first it will soak up all the oil, but as the eggplant cooks, it will start to release it. Again, try not to stir it until it has browned.

When the eggplant has browned, sprinkle with salt and pepper and add the garlic, and stir. After 3 minutes, add the chicken pieces and white wine. Let the wine bubble for 2 minutes, and scrape up the browned bits of chicken and eggplant from the pan. Then add the water and stir well.

Add about 10 basil leaves, stir and cover pan. Turn head down to medium, cover, and finish cooking the chicken. This should take about 20 minutes. Stir it half way through.

Don’t worry if some of the eggplant starts to fall apart. This actually becomes part of the sauce.

When chicken is done, add basil leaves, stir and serve. If you are going to reheat it and serve it later, add the basil at the last minute.