Chicken Parmigiana

This is my variation of melanzane parmigiana which is made only with aubergines. I include chicken in my version as this makes for a complete meal. The Mediterranean flavours of tomatoes, garlic and basil remind me of warm Italian summers. It is delicious served with crusty bread and salad.

Serves 4

About 4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of dried chilli flakes
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
100 ml dry white wine
1 bay leaf
small bunch of basil leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
3 aubergines, cut into slices about ½ inch thick
4 chicken breasts, bashed with a rolling pin to slightly flatten them.
2 x 150g balls of mozzarella, thinly sliced
100 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200⁰ C. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Add the chilli, chopped tomatoes, wine and herbs. Add salt and pepper and simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat.

To prepare the aubergines, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a griddle pan until hot. Char grill the aubergine slices on each side until they are soft. Repeat until you have cooked all the aubergines adding more oil as you need it. When all the aubergines have been prepared griddle your chicken breasts in the same pan until they are just cooked through and nicely marked with the griddle lines.

To assemble your chicken Parmigiana place a spoonful of the tomato sauce in an ovenproof dish. Cover with a layer of the aubergines, then a little more sauce. Sprinkle over some of the cheeses.  Continue with another layer of the aubergines, cheeses and tomato sauce and sprinkle over some chopped basil

. Place the chicken in a single layer and then continue with your aubergine, cheeses and sauce until you have used all your ingredients. Finish the dish with a good sprinkling of the cheese.

Bake in the oven for 30 -40 minutes until the dish is bubbling and brown on top.