Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks

By bakers_delight85

Ingredients

• Eggplant:
• 2 eggplants (about 1 pound each), cut into 1/2-inch slices
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup (2 ounces) panko bread crumbs
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• Chicken:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 to 6 ounces each)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour (use the flour that remains after breading the eggplant)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• Sauce and Filling:
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbsp.)
• 3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, chopped or 1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
• 1/4 tsp. dried chile flakes
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives (about 10 olives or 1.5 ounces), chopped
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or 1 pound plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
• Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
• 3/4 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
To prepare the eggplant, toss with 2 tsp. salt and let sit in a colander placed over a bowl for about 20 minutes. Pat each piece dry, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. pepper, and proceed with breading.
Put the flour, eggs and panko in separate shallow bowls or pie plates. First, dip an eggplant slice in the flour, shaking off the excess . Next, coat the floured slice with egg, letting the extra run off. Finally, dredge the eggplant slice in the panko. Repeat with the remaining eggplant. heat the vegetable oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan, fry the eggplant slices for about 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer the eggplant to the prepared baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Flip the slices over and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.
Prepare the chicken while the eggplant is in the oven. Pound each breast to 1/4-inch thickness with the smooth side of a meat mallet. (If the tender is still attached to the breast, remove it and pound it separately.) Cut each breast into thirds and season the pieces with salt and pepper. Coat each piece in flour and shake off any excess. Wipe the saute pan clean of remaining breadcrumbs and heat the olive oil in it over medium-high heat. Working in batches, saute the chicken pieces for about 1 minute on each side, or until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover to keep warm.
To prepare the sauce, pour the wine into the pan to deglaze, scraping the bits from the bottom. Add the garlic, anchovies and chile flakes and saute for 30 seconds.
Stir in the stock, olives, tomatoes, lemon juice and 1/2 cup of the parsley, and add the chicken back into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer while the eggplant finishes baking. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
To prepare the filling, mix the cheese, the remaining 1/4 cup parsley, the lemon zest, 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper together in a small bowl. When the eggplant is done, create stacks. Start with one slice of eggplant, top with a dollop of cheese, and then one piece of chicken. Top each stack with a piece of eggplant, if desired, spoon some remaining sauce and cheese on top of each stack and serve.