Chicken Eggplant Tikka Masala

Eggplants are in season during the summer months and I think they can be a very underutilized vegetable.  This easy and nutritious chicken eggplant tikka masala packs a flavor punch!  I hope this recipe will inspire you to grab that smooth and shiny purple skinned vegetable and add it to your shopping cart.

Lets take a minute to talk about how wonderful eggplant is shall we?  Eggplant contains an array of nutrients like vitamins, minerals, anthocyanins, and  phytonutrients.  Antho and phyto what?  Anthocyanins are the antioxidants that give purple foods like eggplant their beautiful color (also think red grapes, red cabbage, blackberries).  For starters they are compounds that may help protect you from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and boost brain function.  Phytonutrients are compounds found in all plants.  They have health-promoting properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and liver-health-promoting activities.  Fruits and vegetables have concentrated sources of these nutrients and you can often spot them because of their rich colors, which is the argument for eating the rainbow!

Eggplant provides many of the B vitamins, calcium, copper, potassium, iron, molybdenum, phosphorus, selenium, and zinc.  On top of that it contains both soluble and insoluble fiber.  The great news is that there are so many delicious ways to include more of this nutritious vegetable into your diet.  You can roast it, grill it, sauté it, make a dip out of it, or bake it.  A word of warning, eggplants are also a nightshade vegetable so if you are on an autoimmune protocol or find yourself intolerant then it is best to avoid them.  Luckily there are many other purple plants you can get your hands on that offer great health benefits!

Who knew this relatively tasteless vegetable offered so many benefits?  The mild flavor makes it a great addition to many dishes and it handles bold flavors well which makes it perfect in this recipe.  Bring on the spices because this plant can take it!  I like to serve this dish with cauliflower rice because why not eat more vegetables but you can just as easily serve it over quinoa, jasmine rice, or whatever you like.  My husbands favorite is to scoop some of the mixture on to naan bread.  In fact that is what inspired this dish in the first place.  My in-laws made something similar for my husband and he loved it so much that I had to create my own version to make for him.  I am not sure what he likes more the tikka masala or the naan bread.  Either way he eats every last bite!

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 -8

Author Sara

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 large eggplant sliced in half and cut into 1 inch sticks
• 1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
• 4 cloves garlic peeled and minced
• 1 inch fresh grated ginger
• 6 boneless skinless chicken breasts sliced into thin pieces
• 1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoons turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 tablespoons salt or to taste
• 1 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 can full fat coconut milk
• 7 ounce jar tomato paste
• 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
• fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss the sliced eggplant with 1 tablespoons coconut oil and roast in the oven until soft and turning golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.
3. In a large sauté pan over medium heat add the other tablespoon of coconut oil.
4. Sautee the onion for about 5 minutes, till translucent, then add in the garlic and ginger for another minute.
5. Add in the chicken and start to brown the outside cooking for another 5 minutes.
6. Toss in all of the spices and lemon juice, mixing well to combined.
7. Add the coconut milk, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes stirring to combined.
8. Allow the mixture to come to a low bubble, stirring occasionally, and letting the chicken cook thru about 15 minutes.
9. Toss in the roasted eggplant and cook about 5 minutes to allow the eggplant to absorb the flavors and the sauce to slightly thicken.
10. Serve with cauliflower rice, quinoa, or jasmine rice.
11. Garnish with chopped cilantro

Recipe Notes

*choose organic ingredients when possible.