Sauteed Japanese Eggplant & Chicken with Thai Basil Sauce
Summer is waning at the farm stand but there’s still some glimmers of it mingling amongst the squash, apples, and pears taking over. We should have a few more weeks left of eggplant, at least in my neck of the woods.
I’ll be making this dish as much as possible while the Japanese variety is still available. Even the smaller, thinner, Italian eggplant would work well here. Larger globe eggplants could be used in a pinch, if cut up into cubes but they tend to be seedy, and sometimes a little more bitter.
Thai basil is one of only two herbs I intentionally planted this year, regular Italian basil being the other. Everything else in the garden is a hardy perennial that benefitted from Mother Nature’s efforts. If you don’t have Thai basil available, regular basil is okay to use.
I prefer boneless chicken breast but you can use cut-up boneless thighs which are definitely juicer and more flavorful, but also higher in fat so that will affect the nutritional info listed below.
Cooking spray is listed in the ingredients because it’s much friendlier when tracking macros, especially if you’re in deficit-mode. Feel free to use regular avocado oil if you like. Again, add that extra amount to your app if tracking macros. You’ll need 1 to 2 tablespoons to saute the eggplant, and another tablespoon to cook the chicken.
One important note to keep in mind when cooking eggplant—I strongly advise using a nonstick skillet, whether you’re tracking macros or eating with abandon. Eggplant is a thirsty vegetable, greedily soaking up oil when sauteed. A nonstick pan offers a good balance, allowing you to use less oil, or cooking spray as I do without the eggplant sticking to the pan.
Enjoy. Be well, and remember to be kind. —xo, j.
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