Chicken with Eggplant and Basil

(From a magazine at the check stand)

¼ cup (1/3oz) coarsely chopped fresh basil

2 TBS chopped fresh mint (or cilantro)

¾ cup (6 fl oz) chicken broth

3 green onions, including greens, 2 coarsely chopped and 1 thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 TBS peeled chopped fresh ginger

2 TBS olive oil

1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

2 bell pepper (red or yellow), seeded and julienned

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips 0.5” x 2”

2 TBS low-sodium soy sauce

In blender or food processor, combine the basil, mint, ¼ cup of stock, the shopped green onions, garlic and ginger. Pulse until minced but not pureed. Set aside.

In large non-stick frying pan, heat 1 TBS of oil over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, onion, peppers, and sauté until just tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Add remaining oil to pan. Add basil mixture and sauté for 1 minute, stirring. Add the chicken and soy and sauté until chicken in almost opaque throughout, 2 minutes. Add remaining ½ cup of stock and bring to a boil. Return veggies to pan and stir until heated, about 3 minutes. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with sliced green onion.

I liked this very much.  I made a few modifications... I did not add garlic or ginger.  I may have added a little powdered garlic.  I didn't have any mint or cilantro -- I think it would have added to the flavor.  It lacked a bitterness/herbiness/tangyness... not sure how to describe what I was missing.  It was still good, but I wish it had one of those other herbs.  And I used one yellow and one orange pepper.  Would use one red in the future as the color would have looked nice. 

Other than those items, I followed the recipe and liked it very much.  Caution: it is a LARGE quantity of raw veggies to process.  I had to cook in shifts as it wouldn't all fit in the pan at once. 

This recipe makes a large serving.  At 4 servings, it came out to 285calories and at 6 servings it came out to 195cal.  I did 6 servings and added a half serving of rice or quinoa, for an extra 75 calories.  I think I would do 4 servings next time.   

An interesting process, would be adaptable to other veggies/proteins/herbs.
--JT