Berenjenas Rellenos con Pollo DeschebradaEggplant is grown in Mexico and available in many markets for home cooks. A few restaurants offering nueva cocina—creative dishes combining old and new Mexican food traditions—have begun adding Mexican-style eggplant to their menus. In Puebla, I had small thin pieces of fried eggplant served with a green salad. In Guanajuato, baked eggplant halves were stuffed with tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, onions, and shredded chicken, as in this dish.
Eggplant Stuffed with Shredded Chicken
Berenjenas Rellenos con Pollo DeschebradaEggplant is grown in Mexico and available in many markets for home cooks. A few restaurants offering nueva cocina—creative dishes combining old and new Mexican food traditions—have begun adding Mexican-style eggplant to their menus. In Puebla, I had small thin pieces of fried eggplant served with a green salad. In Guanajuato, baked eggplant halves were stuffed with tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, onions, and shredded chicken, as in this dish.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- Shredded Chicken
- 1 large eggplant
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes peeled and finely chopped
- 1 to 2 jarred pickled jalapeño chiles en escabeche, seeded and finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup grated manchego or asiago cheese
- 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Prepare the shredded chicken.
- Cover and refrigerate.
- Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise.
- With a sharp knife, score the cut side of the eggplant, but do not cut through the skin.
- Sprinkle the cut sides with ½ teaspoon of the salt, turn cut side down and let sit for 20 minutes.
- Rinse the eggplant and pat dry with paper towels.
- Preheat the oven to 375°.
- Rub 2 tablespoons of the oil all over the eggplant and place on a baking sheet.
- Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven until tender, about 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
- When cool enough to handle scoop out the eggplant pulp, leaving the skin and about ½ inch of pulp intact.
- Reserve the eggplant shells.
- Finely chop the pulp with a knife and reserve.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a skillet and cook the onion, stirring, until it starts to brown, about 4 minutes.
- Add the tomato, jalapeño, oregano, cumin, and reserved chopped eggplant.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens, 12 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the reserved shredded chicken.
- Fill the eggplant halves with the chicken stuffing.
- Place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Mix the cheese, bread crumbs, and parsley.
- Sprinkle on top of the eggplant shells.
- Bake in preheated oven until the eggplant shells are soft and the filling is hot and golden brown on top, about 25 minutes.
Notes & Wine Advice
Serve hot or at room temperature.