Eggplant chicken stew is a delicious and healthy, nutrient-packed stew that goes perfectly well with low carb rice and noodle dishes. It is low carb and gluten-free and has only 6 net carbs!
Eggplant, also known as aubergine, is a delicious and versatile vegetable you can prepare in so many different ways. It is so nourishing and filled with fiber, so a little goes a long way.
Ingredients Used
- Eggplants: I use two medium eggplants for this recipe.
- Chicken: I use boiled chicken breasts but you can use any chicken part that can be easily shredded.
- Spices: You can use your favorite spices here. I use bouillon powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper and salt.
- Vegetables: Roma tomatoes, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, and onion are used to make the sauce.
- Olive oil: for the sauce.
How to Prepare Eggplant
There are many different ways to prepare eggplants – baked, fried, used in a casserole or in a stew, eggplants do not disappoint when prepared properly.
On the flip side, it can be a total mess if you don't know how to prepare it or choose the right eggplant, so it's really important to follow the instructions.
Eggplant skin is edible but for older eggplants, it can be quite bitter. To remove the skin, you can use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler.
For this recipe, the skin is removed by boiling the eggplant, which is the easiest way. The skin literally just falls off when you take it out of the boiling water and peel with your fingers. Easy peasy!
How to Make Eggplant Chicken Stew
- First, let's prepare the chicken breast. Add the chicken to a pot and pour in enough water to cover it. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Take the chicken out of the broth when done and shred it with a fork.
- Next, we prepare the eggplants. Cut the eggplant into large cubes, place in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and let the eggplants cook till the skin is soft and looks very wrinkled.
- Place in a colander, rinse with some water to cool it down, then peel off the skin. You can easily do these with your hands since it is so soft, but be careful, some parts might still be hot.
- Take out your potato masher and get mashing! Mash the eggplant till it looks pureed. It wouldn’t look really smooth but that’s okay. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can use a fork if the eggplant is soft enough.
- Leave in a colander to drain a bit more though it wouldn’t drain completely, and this is what we want since the eggplant soaks up spices quite thirstily.
- Blend the tomato, bell pepper, habanero pepper, and half of the onion together. Chop the other half. Add oil to a pot on medium heat and fry the chopped onions for about a minute.
- Next, add the blended tomato and pepper mixture and fry for a few more minutes. Add the shredded chicken, cayenne pepper, and other spices, mix together and let it fry for about 5 more minutes.
- Add the eggplant and mix it thoroughly. Let it simmer on medium-low heat for 5 minutes and you’re ready to serve.
Storing and Reheating
You can store leftover eggplant stew in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
To reheat, if frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge. Then warm with a little water on the stove top.
Tips and Variations
- You can add your favorite spices and make this dish as spicy as you want. You really can’t go wrong with the taste!
- I used leftover chicken but you can replace it with beef, shrimp, or your protein of choice. You can also leave out all protein for a hearty vegan recipe.
What To Eat Eggplant Stew With?
I love to eat this with shirataki rice, plain cauliflower rice, or shirataki noodles. The eggplant chicken stew has very strong and bold flavors and gives life to a plain/bland dish.
You can top it up with meat or even more chicken or just eat as-is for a simple, savory meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my eggplant bitter?
An eggplant can taste bitter if it is no longer fresh or if it is a mature eggplant. The smaller, younger eggplants are less prone to bitterness and have fewer seeds, which is the origin of most of the bitter flavor. To select a fresh eggplant, make sure the surface is smooth and shiny, then lightly squeeze on it and if it springs back, it is still fresh.
If you end up with one that is not very fresh but still want to cook with it, there is a way to get rid of the bitterness. Sprinkle salt generously on the eggplant and then leave for about 30 minutes on a colander for the bitter juices to be drawn out and drained. Wash under tap water to get rid of the excess salt and you’re good to go!
Related Recipes
Check out these amazing African stews!
- Turkey Stew
- Goat Stew
- Fumbwa Congolese Stew
- Nigerian Chicken Stew
- Ofada Stew
- Mafe - African Peanut Stew
- African Beef Stew
Eggplants are such a wonderful addition to my low carb recipes and I like to look for creative ways to use them.
Here are some other amazing, healthy dishes made with eggplants:
- Low Carb Eggplant Benedict
- Garlic Grilled Eggplant
- Zaalouk - Moroccan Salad
- Garden Egg Stew
- Eggplant Amala Fufu
📖 Recipe
Eggplant Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants
- 4 oz chicken breast
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 habanero pepper
- 1 onion
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper for the chicken
Instructions
Prepare the chicken
- Add chicken breast to a pot and pour in enough water to cover it.4 oz chicken breast
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.½ teaspoon salt and pepper
- Bring to a boil and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Take the chicken out of the broth when done and shred with a fork.
Make the stew
- Cut the eggplant into large cubes.2 eggplants
- Boil the eggplants in hot water till the skin is soft and looks very wrinkled.
- Place in a colander, rinse in water to cool down and peel off the skin.
- Mash the eggplant till it looks pureed.
- Leave in a colander to drain a bit more.
- Blend the tomatoes, peppers, and half an onion together. Chop the other half.2 roma tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 habanero pepper, 1 onion
- Add olive oil to a pot on medium heat.½ cup olive oil
- When it gets hot, add the chopped onions and fry for about a minute.1 onion
- Add the blended tomato and pepper mixture and fry for about 5 minutes.
- Add your shredded chicken and spices, mix together and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the salt, a little bit at a time to prevent over-salting it.1 teaspoon bouillon powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the eggplant and mix thoroughly.
- Simmer on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
Is it okay to just chop the eggplants leaving the skin and adding it to the stew that way. I feel like I won't like it mashed
You might be able to, but honestly I didn't try that. Let me know if you do!
Hiya
Do you think this will freeze well?
Thanks
Yes, it freezes really well!
I would like to try to make this dish, but I don't know how I could get 8 servings from 40z of chicken? Also can you indicate the size of the eggplant (big or small)?
Hi Beatrice, I used 2 large eggplants which give 8 servings, as the eggplants absorb a lot of liquid. Hope this helps.