Chicken Stir Fry With Eggplant And Basil

Eggplant, yellow onion, yellow and red bell peppers highlight this hearty chicken stir-fry. Chicken and vegetables are stir fried in a chicken broth sauce flavored with basil, mint, green onions, garlic, and ginger.

Ingredients -

1/4 cup coarsely chopped Fresh Basil
2 tablespoons chopped Fresh Mint
3/4 cup Chicken Broth
3 Green Onions, including tender green tops, 2 coarsely chopped and 1 thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic
1 tablespoon peeled and chopped Fresh Ginger
2 tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 cups Eggplant, with peel, diced
1 Yellow Onion, coarsely chopped
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into julienne
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, seeded and cut into julienne
1 pound Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into strips 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long
2 tablespoons Low-Sodium Soy Sauce

Preparation:

1. Add basil, mint, ¼ cup chicken broth, coarsely chopped green onions, garlic, and ginger to food processor. Pulse until minced. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in wok over medium-high heat.

3. Add eggplant, yellow onion, red and yellow bell peppers. Stir-fry 5-7 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok to bowl. Cover to keep warm.

4. Add 1-tablespoon olive oil to wok. Heat 1 minute.

5. Add basil mixture to wok. Stir-fry 1 minute.

6. Add chicken and soy sauce to wok. Stir-fry 2 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink.

7. Add remaining ½ cup chicken broth and bring to a boil.

8. Return vegetable mixture to wok. Stir-fry 2 minutes, or until heated through.

9. Transfer to warm serving platter.

10. Garnish chicken stir-fry with sliced green onions.

11. Serve hot.

Variations and Recipe Ideas:

Cooking Tip

Eggplant

The eggplant should be in small pieces, stir-fried in very hot oil, and watched carefully until crisp. Larger eggplant pieces tend to get mushy.

Cooking Tip

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

You could substitute vegetable, canola, or peanut oil for the olive oil in this recipe. Olive oilis used for the flavor it imparts into the eggplant. Be wary of the olive oils burning point when stir-frying.