Tasty Thursdays: Eggplant and Chicken Puttanesca Stacks

This week's recipe comes from the Daily Green, referred by the Huffington Post. I was just searching for some fall recipes & I stumbled onto the page. My mouth just watered when I saw the image of the outcome - taken by Leo Gong - good enough to re-post! The following recipes serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

For 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 tablespoons vegetable oil

For 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 tablespoon olive oil

For Sauce and Filling:
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
3 anchovy fillets packed in oil, chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon 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

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. To prepare the eggplant, toss with 2 teaspoons salt and let sit in a colander placed over a bowl for about 20 minutes. Pat each piece dry, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon 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 sauté 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 sauté pan clean of remaining breadcrumbs and heat the olive oil in it over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sauté 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 sauté 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 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon 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.

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