| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 3 hr 10 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr 30 min |
| Cook: | 10 min |
| Yield: | 4 jars |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice
- 3 tablespoons chopped, pitted green olives
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, such as leftover rotisserie chicken or about 2 cutlets, cooked and shredded
Instructions
- Place the rice in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the olives, cilantro, oil, vinegar, and salt, and pepper to make a light vinaigrette. Drizzle the dressing over the rice and toss to coat completely.
- In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil, then add the onions and cook over medium heat until very tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chickpeas and stir to coat. Turn the heat up to high and deglaze the pan with the wine. Remove the pan from the heat, season with salt, and pepper, to taste and set aside.
- Place the eggplant cubes in a colander and salt liberally. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes and then blot with paper towels. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the onions until tender. Add the blotted eggplant. The eggplant will absorb the oil, but only add more if the eggplant is very dry. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, turning occasionally. Add the garlic, and lower the heat, adding a little more oil, if necessary. Season the mixture with salt, and pepper, to taste and cook until the eggplant is tender, about 3 or 4 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for a minute to soften just a little and force the juices to release. Turn off the heat. Season with salt, and pepper, and set aside.
- Layer the ingredients decoratively in 4 jam jars starting first with the rice, followed by chick peas, eggplant, chicken, and topped with another layer of rice. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight to prepare for picnic.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 639 calorie |
| Total Fat | 36 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 37 milligrams |
| Sodium | 549 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 56 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 grams |
| Protein | 24 grams |
| Sugar | 5 grams |
Reviews
Delicious, not only for picnics but SCHOOL LUNCH for tweens and teens! Thank you Melissa
I saw a rerun of this show recently and liked the layered idea..plus it had many of my kitchen staples in it. I was makinhg the chickpea layr solo for a light dinner when i decided to make an already very flavor filled meal a bit better…after cooking the chickpea recipe I added some fresh spinach to the still warm pan tossing it over a very low heat till the leaves wilted, then i put some mild goat cheese on the top..and covered that with the lid till it melted. yum!!!!
Melissa d’Arabian is my favorite chef! I have not found a recipe of hers that isn’t tasty. This particular recipe is simple yet so flavorful. Great for picnic or dinner!! So glad she is with Food Network.
I made this today sans the chicken and it was fabulous. The flavors meld very well. It was less than $10 because I had most of the items in my pantry
Tried this yesterday; did my shopping the previous day to make sure I had everything. This recipe is a keeper, and definitely will be making it again. I, too, made a one-dish meal, and it was wonderful. Thank you, Melissa, once again.
Man, I am LOVING the recipes from Melissa! Where’s she been all my life? She has turned my taste buds upside-down with all of these unexpected flavors. This recipe was no exception. It was so delicious. I look forward to whatever she comes up with next. Bring it, Melissa! No really, please bring it…I can hardly wait to see what’s next.
The reason I tried this recipe was not because it’s apparently under $10 to prepare (it wasn’t, unless you have most of the ingredients already), but because it looked so good. However, it’s a little too cold outside right now to include it as a picnic item, so once I prepared all of the layers individually, I mixed everything together into one main dish – and it turned out GREAT! My husband loved it too. This recipe’s a definite keeper!
I tried making this for $10. per serving and individual. I found that you must have all ingredients in your kitchen, including left overs. You will not come close. Otherwise, this is good and fun picnic food.
This is SO tasty & has so many ingredients that are incredibly healthy! It’s a little work to put together, but so worth the effort! Thanks for a delicious, healthy meal for a great price! Keep ’em coming :
Another hit from Melissa! There are only three of us and my very picky teenage son ate the extra portion. I didn’t have tumeric, so I took Melissa’s advice and substituted cumin, it was delicious. I don’t like green olives or cilantro, so I used spiced pecans and parsley in the rice layer and they worked very well. I also used small bowls instead of jars. I have loved everything I have tried from Melissa. I had made her roast chicken the night before, so the leftovers worked perfectly for this dish. Keep up the great work!