This simple Balsamic Chicken Stuffed Eggplant recipe creates a flavorful and satisfying meal for two in no time at all.
When it comes to Paleo cooking, there is no shortage of items that you can stuff. There are a plethora of recipes out there for stuffed avocados, stuffed mushrooms, stuffed squash, and now…stuffed eggplant.
I had never really thought about stuffing an eggplant until last summer when I had a few on hand that I didn’t know what to do with. The eggplants ended up making a great vehicle for stuffing. They held up pretty well in the oven and were quick to absorb any flavors that I packed them with.
In this case, I use a mixture of ground chicken, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers. I also throw the eggplant that you carve out into the mix to help create a rich texture. After baking, the eggplants are drizzled with a simple balsamic reduction for an extra boost of flavor. Overall, it’s a simple process that produces a satisfying result.
How to Make Balsamic Chicken Stuffed Eggplant
Start by cutting the eggplant in half and carving out the center (I’ve found a pairing knife like this one from Mercer works pretty well for this). Give the eggplant innards a rough chop.
Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add some diced onion, and sauté until it is translucent, 5-6 minutes.
Add the chopped eggplant, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the eggplant starts to get tender, about another 6-7 minutes.
Add the ground chicken, dried oregano, salt, and pepper. Sautee until the chicken is no longer pink, then stir in some chopped roasted red peppers and basil.
Stuff the mixture into the eggplant halves, and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 30-35 minutes.
While the eggplants are baking, bring 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar to a low simmer. Simmer for about 10 -12 minutes until it turns thick and syrupy and has reduced by about half.
After removing the eggplants from the oven, top with the balsamic reduction and some more fresh basil. Enjoy!
Balsamic Chicken Stuffed Eggplant
Ingredients
- 1 large eggplant
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 cup Baby Bella Mushrooms sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup roasted red peppers roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Cut the eggplant in half length wise, and carefully hollow out each half leaving about a 1/4 of an inch around the sides. Roughly chop the removed eggplant.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion sauté until tender, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the chopped eggplant, mushrooms, and garlic. Cook until the eggplant is tender, about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the ground chicken, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Stir in the roasted red peppers and basil and remove the skillet from the heat.
- Place the eggplant halves in a baking dish and stuff them with the chicken mixture. Drizzle a little olive oil on top and roast for 30-35 minutes until tender.
- Meanwhile, add the balsamic vinegar to a small sauce pan. Bring to a low simmer and cook until it has thickened and reduced by about half, about 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the stuffed eggplants from the oven and top with the balsamic reduction and additional basil before serving.
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This post was originally published on January 25, 2017 and last updated May 13, 2020.
Pavel
Sunday 21st of May 2023
I think that you could easily halve the amount of chicken in this and still have a phenomenal dish.
Sharon
Tuesday 28th of February 2023
I felt like there wasn’t any flavor to the dish, I accidentally added Italian seasoning instead of Oregano, I may have needed to add extra oregano. There was was excess amount of filling, I ended up putting the filling in a dish and baking it. If I make this again I will need to make some adjustments.
Cindy
Wednesday 16th of December 2020
Only had chicken breast tenders, chopped them up, wow delicious meal!
The Sophisticated Caveman
Thursday 31st of December 2020
Nice!!
Sheri
Friday 4th of December 2020
I'm 36 years old and only recently discovered my love of eggplant, so I went in search of some recipes and found this one. My stuffed eggplant halves are currently in the oven, but I had to take a break from cleaning to say that the filling is so dang-freaking-earth-moving delicious that if it gets better in the oven, I just might faint. This will FOR SURE be something I make again. Holy moly! I can't wait to try your other recipes now!
Michelle Goulet
Tuesday 15th of September 2020
I made this for my husband and I. I wouldn’t have thought in a million years that our teenage son would take my half! There was plenty for the 3 of us. We added goat cheese crumbles on top. So good!
The Sophisticated Caveman
Wednesday 16th of September 2020
Yum! Nice addition! So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe!!