Braised Chicken & Pasta with Eggplant, Tomato & Green Olives

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My friend Ali told me about Pacific Food Importers (PFI) and all the great specialty items she gets there - cheese, meat, olives, sauces, noodles and much much more. She specifically told me about a jar of Greek style eggplant that she uses for a quick and easy braised chicken and pasta dinner. Sold. I was there by week's end.

I made this dinner on Wednesday and loved it. My sister was over and loved it. The next day, I served leftovers to three friends, and they all loved it. Clearly it was a hit. Thanks Ali!

It's so flavorful, a cinch to prepare and makes fantastic leftovers. After dinner that first night I cut the chicken off the bone and mixed it into the pasta for the next day. It was even better after all the flavors melded overnight.

One thing I loved about PFI was the selection of pastas that you can't find in your typical grocery store. For example, I bought a Greek noodle that's similar to a bucatini or perciatelli noodle (long tubular pasta). I loved them for this dish.

Bon appetit!


Braised Chicken & Pasta with Eggplant, Tomato & Olives

2 chicken breasts, cut in half
2 chicken legs, drumsticks and thighs separated
2 T olive oil
2-3 T minced garlic
1 cup white wine
1 jar Alidoro Greek-style eggplants (PFI is currently out of stock, darn it!)
roughly 1 cup whole peeled tomatoes (smashed with your hand) and the juices too
1 cup green olives, chopped
2 T minced parsley
1 package perciatelli-style noodles (or any other noodle)

Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large braiser over medium-high heat. Brown chicken pieces for a few minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. Lower heat and remove pan for a second. Add garlic and return to heat (I let the pan cool for a second so the garlic doesn't burn.) Cook garlic for a few minutes over medium heat. Add white wine and stir to deglaze the pan. Cook for a minute or two. Add jar of eggplants, tomatoes, olives and half the parsley. Cook for a few minutes, stirring to combine. Put the chicken back in the pan, turn once or twice to cover with sauce, cover the pan and lower the heat. Cook for 30-60 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and cook noodles until just shy of being done. While noodles are cooking, remove chicken from pan and set aside. Drain noodles and add to the sauce. Finish cooking the noodles in the sauce. Stir to combine and sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve alongside the chicken pieces.