Eggplant, Roasted Pepper and Chicken Pitas

  4.8 – 18 reviews  • Israeli

Exceptionally nice! Over rice, serve the chicken and sauce.

Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Servings: 6
Yield: 6 sandwiches

Ingredients

  1. 2 eggplants, cut into 1/2-inch slices
  2. 1 tablespoon salt
  3. 2 (6 ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  4. all-purpose flour for dusting
  5. 2 eggs, beaten
  6. 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  7. 4 tablespoons olive oil
  8. 3 cloves garlic, peeled, or more to taste
  9. 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  10. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  11. 1 (12 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, sliced
  12. salt and pepper to taste
  13. 6 (6-inch) pita breads

Instructions

  1. Sprinkle sliced eggplant with salt and allow to drain in a colander for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat a grill for medium-high heat (see Cook’s Note).
  2. Pound chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap to a thickness of 1/4-inch. Dredge with flour, shake off excess, dip into beaten egg, then press into seasoned bread crumbs to coat.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
  4. Wipe eggplant dry with a paper towel. If grilling, brush slices with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Grill until tender and well marked.
  5. Crush garlic with a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt. Whisk together garlic, red wine vinegar, and extra-virgin olive oil. Slice grilled eggplant into strips and toss with roasted peppers and balsamic dressing; season to taste with salt and pepper.
  6. To assemble, heat pita breads on the grill until hot and marked. Slice chicken into strips and place into warm pitas along with marinated eggplant and red peppers.
  7. You can make your own roasted red peppers instead of buying them. This makes great leftovers–just assemble the sandwiches right before eating.
  8. You can also fry the eggplant rounds instead of grilling. Pour canola oil about 1/2 inch deep in a cast iron skillet or heavy pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Wipe salted eggplant slices dry with a paper towel. Working in batches, fry eggplant until golden brown on each side. Lay cooked eggplant on a plate lined with double sheets of paper towels, because eggplant soaks up a lot of oil.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 492 kcal
Carbohydrate 60 g
Cholesterol 94 mg
Dietary Fiber 8 g
Protein 23 g
Saturated Fat 3 g
Sodium 1754 mg
Sugars 8 g
Fat 18 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

Sarah Avila
WOW!! LOVED THE RECIPIE. IT WAS ABSOUTLY DELICIOUS!! THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT!! YUMMY. THANK YOU FOR A GREAT DINNER!!
Patrick Cook
I made this recipe tonight and my kids (11 and 12) and myself loved it! Tastes so fresh and full of flavor. I did top with feta and also used the red wine vinegar many suggested. I do have one question. I was confused by the first step. When you slice the eggplant and than salt it. Than it says to leave it in a colander and allow it to drain. Am I suppose to salt it, than rinse it in a colander and let it drain? That is what I did, because it was VERY salty if I would not have rinsed it, but I was unsure. Any advice would be appreciated. Great recipe!!!
Frank Sellers
Really lovely. Many thanks for your recipe.I omitted the bread crumbs and used stone ground whole meal flour to dust.
Richard Carter
Good recipe! I did an ingredient search with chicken and eggplant and this recipe came up. It was perfect. I used balsamic because I love the flavor, and also added fresh cilantro from our garden to the dressing.
Jorge Young
My family enjoyed this. I don’t like eggplant very much but my husband does so I thought we would give it try. Seasoned flour with onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Used panko instead of breadcrumbs for more crunch. Great changes good meal.
Mark Smith
Followed recipe exactly and these were absolutely delicious!! We did add some crumbled feta cheese as suggested by some earlier reviews. Even our picky 15 & 12 year olds went back for a second! Thx for sharing!
Amy Allen MD
I ended up using a cherry-balsamic vinegar, in spite of the correction saying to use red wine vinegar. It turned out great! I also cooked my own red bell pepper. No bother buying a can.
Dr. David Perez
simple and healthy! my kind of meal.
Miss Jennifer Williams MD
Okay, here is another recipe that I walked into not knowing whether or not I would like it. I went into this kind of unsure of the grilled eggplant part, but this was soooo good. It is full of flavor and the salad has a nice intense balsamic flavor that really makes the chicken pop. Per others suggestion I added some feta cheese and this made it even better. An easy meal that the whole family will love.
Jeremy Anderson
Delicious!
Dr. April Williams DDS
Made this tonight with naan bread. My family of 7 raved about it, (ranging from my husband, teenagers, and a two year old). It’s going to stay as a regular “sandwich” in this family. I served it on a bit of spinach and a little crumble feta for topping. Just wanted to add that I broiled my chicken without instead of frying it in oil and didn’t bread it. I only added about a little more than a pinch of garlic seasoning on each of the breasts for a bit of flavour. This helps cut down on some of those unwanted calories & fat.
Amber Patel
If I could give it more stars, I would. This was DIVINE!! I followed the recipe as said w/ the exception of roasting my own red bell peppers. I didn’t have pita bread, so we used spinach wraps…and my daughter suggested a bit of feta which…oy, was a great addition!! I think next time I will oven bake my chicken, though, just to get rid of some of the fat. Very good and different!! Thanks!
Allison Marsh
I roast the eggplant in the oven & generally buy roasted red pepper just to make it easy. The veggie mixture is divine, regardless of which vinegar you use. It really is best with the breaded chicken plus feta and flat-leaf parsley with the vegetables – but grilled//broiled chicken is also good. Great for picnics!
Nancy Bell
Made it on Sunday…everyone love it…a little too overpowering by fresh garlic on eggplant but overall were one of the successful dish. Last night, my husband told that you could make it for our UFC party for friends too.
Lisa Benson
Delicious and pretty healthy except for all the olive oil! I didn’t coat the chicken in flour first and didn’t miss it. Also, we ate ours woithout the pita and it was just fine. I think next time I make this, I will make double the eggplant, peppers and tomatoes and serve it as a side salad.
Kimberly Young
AWESOME! I cut up fresh red bell pepper and put them in the skillet with olive oil and garlic until fork tender. I fried up my eggplant because I didnt want to clean my george foreman. I added feta cheese & spinach and used naan flatbread from my bakery. I did use the red wine vinegar instead of balsamic & it was perfect! Topped with fresh tomato. I ate half w/ chicken & half without. I think I might turn this into a vegetarian dish & leave off the chicken. Can’t wait to make again for lunch tomorrow, so I can use the rest of my ingredients.
Wendy Turner
Reminded me of the flavors I had on my Mediterranean vacation – “Mezze” platters in Turkey. Also, try adding artichoke hearts and feta. If your artichoke hearts/roasted red peppers are marinated, you don’t need to add much more of your own seasoning. I don’t know why reviewers are saying to use red wine vinegar, balsamic is accurate.
Francisco Williams
This is such a divine dish!! One mistake- Its supposed to be red wine vinegar- not balsamic!!

 

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