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Eggplant and Chicken Thighs Casserole

A baked casserole of eggplant, chicken thighs, tomatoes, onions, carrots, peppers, and herbs, topped with feta.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 17 ingredients
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Why it works: Carrot and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,053 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓

Eggplant and Chicken Thighs Casserole

Time1 hour (resting the salted eggplant)

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the eggplant

  1. Wash the eggplants, remove the stem and cut into 1/2 inch rounds.

  2. Sprinkle the eggplant slices with salt and let rest for 1 hour.

  3. Drain each slice well and dry it with a clean cloth.

  4. Fry the eggplant slices in oil, on both sides, at medium heat.

  5. After all eggplants have been fried, fry the chicken thighs.

  6. Fry the thinly sliced onions and vegetables in the remaining oil until softened.

Layer and bake

  1. In a pan, arrange a layer of tomato rounds (reserve about 1/3 of the tomatoes for sauce).

  2. Add a layer of fried eggplants.

  3. Sprinkle the eggplant layer with some minced garlic.

  4. Add a layer of fried chicken thighs sprinkled with salt, oregano, and thyme.

  5. Add a layer of fried vegetables sprinkled with some salt.

  6. Repeat the layering until all ingredients are used, ensuring the last layer is tomatoes.

  7. Boil the remaining tomatoes with 2-3 tablespoons of water, strain; add some salt, dusted flour, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar.

  8. Pour this sauce over the eggplants.

  9. Bake until almost all liquid is reduced.

  10. Turn onto the serving platter and serve warm with sprinkled parsley, dill, and crumbled feta.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1016Calories
56 gProtein
29 gFat
133 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 18 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Chicken100g cooked165
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Feta Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Eggplant1 cup cubed (82g)35
Carrot1 medium (61g)25
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Dill5 sprigs fresh (1g) / 1 tsp dried4
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Thyme1 tsp dried (1.4g)4
Bay Leaf1 leaf (0.6g)2
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

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. Carrot + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,053 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).

  2. Carrot + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together10,173 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  3. Parsley + celerytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,810 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  4. Pepper + parsleytop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together34,122 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Eggplant + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together651 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggplants
Absorb oil when fried and soften into a tender, creamy layer in the bake.
Chicken thighs
Provide fat and juiciness, staying moist during the long bake.
Tomatoes
Supply moisture and acidity that form the sauce as the casserole bakes.
Onions
Soften and turn sweet when fried, building a savory base flavor.
Feta cheese
Adds salty, tangy richness as a finishing garnish on the warm casserole.
Flour
Thickens the tomato sauce so it coats the layers rather than running off.

The step that matters

Drain and dry the salted eggplant slices before frying. Salting draws out water; if slices stay wet, they steam and absorb more oil instead of browning, and the casserole ends up soggy and greasy.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (eggplant, tomato, chicken, carrot, pepper, parsley, celery):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Okrafits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against eggplant, tomato, chicken, carrot, pepper, parsley, celery. 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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