Smashed chicken flatbread with eggplant is a modern and flavorful dish that fits perfectly with current food trends. It combines tender smashed chicken with gently prepared eggplant and a fluffy flatbread as its base. This combination creates a dish that feels both nutritious and light and is ideal for those who love worldly flavors. With the right preparation, it creates a balance of savory, creamy and fresh that makes every bite special. And it looks picture perfect too ;).
Smashed chicken flatbread with eggplant
30 minutes
Average
Smashed chicken flatbread with eggplant
What makes the smashed chicken flatbread with eggplant unique is the way the chicken is prepared. Smashing the chicken gives the meat a crispy edge, while the inside remains juicy. This gives the flatbread with chicken a surprising texture and makes the dish rich and flavorful. Combined with tender eggplant and the airy texture of flatbread, it creates a modern meal that can be called both comfort food and sophisticated street food. And it is so delicious with a little pickled red onion and a yogurt dip!
Where did the smashed food trend come from?
The smashed trend started with the popular smashed burger, where minced meat is crushed with extra pressure on the griddle to create a crispy and flavorful crust. This technique has since been applied more widely to other ingredients, such as shrimp, chicken and even vegetables. The idea behind the smashed trend is simple: more contact with the griddle creates more flavor and a unique texture. A smashed chicken flatbread is a great example of this and shows how versatile this style of cooking can be.
How do you soften eggplant?
In a dish like smashed chicken flatbread with eggplant, the texture of the vegetable is at least as important as that of the chicken. Eggplant can quickly become too tough or dry if not prepared properly. The secret to making eggplant really soft and creamy is steaming. By steaming eggplant, the vegetable retains its natural texture and becomes deliciously creamy without absorbing oil. This preparation makes eggplant a perfect counterpart to the savory chicken and adds depth and balance to the flatbread. Also try this pasta with red pesto and eggplant.
What you need:
2
200 gr minced chicken
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
bunch of fresh coriander
or parsley
2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
olive oil
2 flatbreads
1 eggplant
pickled red onion
or red onion in thin rings
150 gr (Greek) yogurt
romaine lettuce
chopped
What to do:
1
Put the minced chicken along with the red onion, 1 clove of garlic and half a bunch of cilantro in the food processor. Add half the cumin and some salt and pepper and blend to a smooth paste. Don't have a food processor? Then finely chop all the ingredients with a sharp knife and then mix with the minced meat.
2
Cut the eggplant into cubes. Heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant in it along with some salt and pepper and the remaining half of the cumin powder. Add a dash of water to the pan and put a lid on it. Now let it steam for 5 minutes. Add more water occasionally as needed. Cook just until the eggplant is soft.
3
Finely chop the remaining clove of garlic along with a handful of cilantro. Put together with the yogurt in a bowl and add some salt and pepper. Blend to make a sauce.
4
Heat some oil in a frying pan. Top both flatbreads with the chicken mince mixture. Place the flatbreads, filling side down, in the pan and fry for about 4-5 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Then turn the flatbreads up and heat the bottom for a few more minutes.
5
Spread the eggplant, pickled red onion and yogurt sauce over the flatbread and top with the romaine. Roll closed and cut in half.
