Last week, I asked my followers via Facebook to name 6 ingredients and I would figure out a way to combine them and make a cohesive and delicious dish. With-in seconds of posting, here were the first ones that I received:
- Chickpeas
- Eggplant
- Chicken Breast
- Couscous
- Capers
- Goat Cheese
Here was my thought process on creating the dish…
1) Immediately when I saw the couscous and the chickpeas, I knew I had to go Mediterranean. I had been dying to make this Turkish hummus I tried when I was in Philly, so I knew that would be one part of my dish.
2) Then, I had this idea that couscous would be delicious with creamy goat cheese running through it ,so that made it an easy decision.
3) When considering how to work in eggplant and chicken, I thought that a beautiful balsamic grilled version of both would be a good compliment to the couscous and hummus (and satisfy my vegetarian fiancé).
4) Finally, I had the capers. I’m not a huge fan of them, but when fried in oil, the briniest dissipates leaving a yummy salty bite. As a result, I decided to top my hummus with fried caper.
Now, you can create this dish too!
Balsamic Grilled Chicken & Eggplant w/ Goat Cheese Couscous
Ingredients
Couscous
- 1 cup Couscous
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Chicken Broth or water
- 2 tbsp Goat Cheese
- Salt
Balsamic Eggplant and Chicken
- 1 Eggplant peeled and sliced
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Cutlets 1/2 breast per person
- Garlic Salt
- Onion Salt
- 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar good quality
- Olive Oil
- Hummus see Everything Erica’s roasted garlic Turkish hummus
Instructions
- Bring your broth/water and butter to a boil over medium/high heat. Once it is boiling, add your couscous, stir it and put a lid on it Turn the heat to low and let sit for 10 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. You can add your goat cheese when it’s still hot for a creamier version (my fav) or wait till it cools for a more couscous salad like texture.
- Pound the chicken out until it’s super thin. You can do this by placing each breast in a large ziplock bag or between saran wrap and banging on it with a pot. You can also use a meat mallet.
- Sprinkle your eggplant and chicken with garlic salt and onion salt. On a oiled grill pan (or in a skillet) over medium high heat, add both the eggplant and chicken and let cook 3-5 minutes on each side. Right before you’re about to take it off the pan, drizzle a little baslamic vinegar over the top and let that absorb in.
- When you plate it up, drizzle a little more balsamic over the top of the eggplant and chicken.
(Everything Erica’s Roasted Garlic Turkish Hummus)
It’s so fun to improvise in the kitchen and challenge yourself to create fun new recipes! Next time you’re in a recipe slump, ask your friends to name random ingredients and then try to see what you come up with!
Love always,
Erica
