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Italian Chicken Casserole

A casserole of ground chicken, eggplant, tomatoes, rice, and cheese baked with Italian seasonings.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 14 ingredients
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Why it works: Eggplant and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 801 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Italian Chicken Casserole

Oven350°F
Time20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the sauce

  1. Combine stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, water, Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon pepper, and garlic powder in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan.

  2. Simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes; set aside to cool.

Cook the eggplant and chicken

  1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-low heat until hot.

  2. Cook eggplant slices for 6 to 8 minutes or until soft. Reapply cooking spray as necessary.

  3. Transfer eggplant to a warm plate; set aside.

  4. Sprinkle ground chicken with salt and remaining 1 teaspoon pepper.

  5. Recoat skillet with cooking spray; place over medium-high heat until hot.

  6. Cook chicken for 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until no longer pink.

Assemble and bake

  1. Combine sauce with cooked rice.

  2. Cover the bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish, coated with cooking spray, with eggplant slices.

  3. Top with half of the chicken, 1-1/2 cups rice mixture, 1/2 cup ricotta cheese, and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese.

  4. Repeat layers.

  5. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

981Calories
65 gProtein
43 gFat
82 gCarbs

Counts 12 of 13 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Ricotta Cheese1/2 cup (124g) part-skim174
Chicken100g cooked165
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Mozzarella Cheese1 oz (28g)85
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Mushrooms1/2 cup sliced (35g)15
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Eggplant + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together801 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Tomato + eggplanttop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together651 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  3. Tomato + garlictop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  4. Mushroom + chickentop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,172 recipes

    Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).

  5. Chicken + ricetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,769 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggplant
Forms the tender layers that hold the casserole together when cooked soft.
Ground chicken
Provides the main protein and savory body in the sauce and layers.
Stewed tomatoes
Supply the liquid and acidity that form the base of the sauce.
Cooked rice
Absorbs the sauce and adds bulk and starch that give the layers body.
Ricotta cheese
Adds creamy moisture and mild richness between the layers.
Mozzarella cheese
Melts into a stretchy topping and browns lightly in the oven.

The step that matters

Cooking the eggplant until soft. Eggplant soaks up oil and water as it cooks. Cooking it fully in a hot, lightly oiled pan softens it and drives off excess moisture, so the layers do not turn watery in the baked casserole.

Swap the eggplant

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (tomato, mushroom, pepper, garlic, chicken, rice, ricotta cheese):

  1. Spinachfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Potatofits about as well
  4. Eggplantthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against tomato, mushroom, pepper, garlic, chicken, rice, ricotta cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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