Black Tea Chicken With Eggplant Food

BLACK TEA BRINED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, ginger, sugar, salt, lime juice, lime rinds, habanero, garlic, onion, and 1 gallon water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, turn off heat and give it a stir. Tie tea bags together and place in the brine. Let steep for 10 minutes, then remove and discard tea bags. Let cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Submerge chicken in brine, breast-side down. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle the inside and outside of chicken with salt and pepper. Place on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the fleshiest part of the breast and thigh (do not touch bone) registers 160 to 165 degrees F, approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

BLACK TEA CHICKEN WITH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Steep the tea bags in 2 cups boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove the bags and allow the liquid to cool to room temperature.
• Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Put the pieces into a bowl and cover with the cooled tea. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. When you are ready to cook, drain the chicken and pat it dry.
• Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and chicken and stir-fry until it is just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, add the eggplant, and stir-fry until the eggplant begins to brown and soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, add the hoisin sauce and soy sauce, and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN AND EGGPLANT WITH THAI BASIL

Steps:

• Salt the eggplant generously and leave in a colander to sweat for 15 to 30 minutes, while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Rinse and drain on a clean kitchen towel.
• Place the garlic in a mortar with 1/4 teaspoon salt and mash to a paste. Add the ginger and chiles, and continue to mash with the garlic. In another small bowl, mix together the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and pepper. Set aside.
• Heat a large, heavy skillet or wok over high heat, until a drop of water evaporates immediately upon contact. Add 1 tablespoon oil, turn the heat down to medium-high, and add the garlic paste. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, and add the chicken. Stir-fry for three to four minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and no traces of pink remain. Transfer from the pan or wok to a plate or bowl.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the eggplant. Cook, stirring, until the eggplant is lightly browned and almost cooked through, about 10 minutes. Stir the chicken back into the pan, and add the fish and soy sauce mixture. Add 1/4 cup water, cover the wok or pan, turn the heat down to medium and steam for five minutes. Uncover, and stir in the basil leaves. Stir for 30 seconds to a minute, remove from the heat and serve with rice.

CHICKEN BREAST WITH EGGPLANT, SHALLOTS AND GINGER

Steps:

• Peel shallots. If they are small, leave them whole. Otherwise, cut them in half the long way. (Most large shallots have two lobes and will naturally divide in half as you peel them.) Heat the broiler or a gas or charcoal grill.
• Place oil in a large nonstick skillet, and turn heat to medium high. Add shallots, and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Add eggplant, salt and pepper, and lower heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant softens, about 15 minutes.
• When eggplant begins to brown, add half the ginger, and cook 3 minutes or so more, until eggplant is very tender and the mixture fragrant.
• Meanwhile, rub chicken breasts with salt, pepper and remaining ginger. Grill about 4 inches from the heat source for 3 minutes a side or until done.
• Stir half the cilantro into eggplant mixture. Serve chicken breasts on a bed of eggplant. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

CHICKEN WITH EGGPLANT

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Make slight gashes at thigh and wing joints to facilitate cooking. Set aside.
• Trim off ends of eggplants. Cut lengthwise in half and cut each half lengthwise into 3 long slices. Cut slices crosswise into inch pieces. There should be about 5 cups.
• Cut onion in half vertically. Cut each half crosswise into very thin slices. There should be about a cup.
• Cut cores from tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into inch cubes or slightly smaller. There should be about 1 1/2 cups.
• Heat oil in large skillet and add chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about 5 minutes on one side and turn, cooking 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to platter.
• Add onions, garlic and eggplant to skillet. Cook, stirring, about a minute and add tomatoes. Stir.
• Add vinegar, wine and broth and bring to boil. Stir. Add bay leaf, thyme, salt, pepper and pepper flakes. Stir and return chicken to the skillet. Turn pieces in sauce.
• Cover closely and let cook, basting occasionally, about 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove bay leaf. Serve with sauce poured over and sprinkled with parsley.

CHICKEN EGGPLANT STIR-FRY

Steps:

• Sprinkle salt evenly over both sides of eggplant slices; set aside for 5 minutes. Cut eggplant into cubes.
• Cook and stir chicken, garlic, and soy sauce together in a large skillet over medium heat until the chicken is nearly cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Stir mushrooms and black pepper into the chicken mixture; continue cooking until the mushrooms brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Heat canola oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Cook eggplant in hot canola oil until lightly browned; add to skillet with the chicken.
• Stir spinach through the chicken and eggplant mixture; cook and stir until the spinach wilts, 2 to 3 minutes.