Years ago, I had dinner at my friend’s house, and she made lemon eggplant as a vegetarian option. While the carnivores dined on their chicken version, I was loving each and every bite of my perfectly tender, packed with flavor eggplant. Eggplant is one of my all-time favorite veggies (along with artichokes and zucchini) and what I think I loved most about this dish was that I’d never had it prepared this way. If I’m being honest, I’d probably had only had it in eggplant parm and this dish opened a thousand doors of possibilities. It made me realize that eggplant was a sponge that could soak up delicious flavors. Upon arriving home from that wonderful dinner, I immediately order Katie Quinn Davies’ cookbook What Kate Ate. What I’m sharing with you today is adapted from her Lemon Chicken with Herbed Rice recipe. If you like lemon, Italian dressing and soy sauce (and, I mean, who doesn’t?), you’re going to love this dish. It may sound like a wild combination, but trust me, the flavors really work together.
Lemon forward
This recipe only calls for the zest and juice of one lemon, but it still packs a lot of lemon flavor, especially the eggplant version. I’ve made it with two lemons but found it to be too acidic. If you don’t have a zester, no worries; you can just leave it out, but it will have less of a lemon forward flavor. The rice, which is light in flavor, helps balance out the intense flavors of the eggplant or chicken.
Perfect for carnivores, vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free guests
One of the things I love most about this recipe, besides the lemony taste, is that it can easily be adjusted to accommodate dietary restrictions. This dish works great with either chicken or eggplant without needing to change the cooking time. I often make a tray of each because even the carnivores like a little eggplant sometimes. You can of course use gluten free flour and soy sauce if needed. So, if you’re having dinner company and faced with preparing a menu that accommodates a bunch of different dietary restrictions, this recipe is perfect as it can easily be vegetarian/vegan and/or gluten free with some simple changes. What cook doesn’t like making everyone happy without having to prepare a bunch of different dishes?
Get cooking!
Every time I make this dish, I’m transported back to my friend’s back patio. I love how food can elicit such clear memories; I know what wine I drank, what jokes I told, and what we had for dessert. I truly hope that you enjoy the flavors of this dish as much as I do. And if you’re an eggplant lover like me check out these No Fry Eggplant Stacks (they’re a fam favorite) or if you’re more of a chicken person give these Simple Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs a try. As always, let me know how your Lemon Eggplant (or Chicken) and Rice comes out by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Lemon Eggplant (or Chicken) and Rice
Ingredients
Eggplant/chicken
- cooking spray (extra virgin olive oil or canola oil)
- 1 large eggplant or 2 chicken breast fillets, cut into bite sized pieces
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1/3 cup of soy sauce (I like to mix regular and low sodium)
- ½ cup Italian dressing
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Rice
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
- salt and pepper to taste
- small handful parsley, stems removed, finely chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425. Grease a rimmed baking sheet or casserole dish with cooking spray.
- To make the eggplant/chicken: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and pepper. Toss the eggplant/chicken pieces in the seasoned flour (working in batches). Using a slotted spoon, shake off the excess flour and transfer to prepared baking sheet or casserole dish. Coat the top of each piece with cooking spray, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pour the chilled sauce over eggplant/chicken, tossing gently so that the pieces are evenly coated. Lower the temperature of the oven to 200F and bake for another 30 minutes, until the chicken, if using, is cooked through but still tender (the eggplant will be done).
- To make the sauce (I make this right after I put the eggplant/chicken in the oven): Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
- To make the rice (I make this after I’ve lowered the oven temperature): Warm oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes), stirring often. Add rice and stir to coat. Pour in the broth, raise heat to bring to a boil then cover and simmer on low heat for about 18-20 minutes, until the broth has been absorbed. Fluff rice with fork and season with salt and pepper.
- Spoon eggplant/chicken over the rice and top with any extra juices. Garnish with parsley and serve immediately.
