This recipe can be made ahead then assembled and baked when you are ready to eat. In fact, they can be made ahead and frozen. The recipe below will feed 6-8 people. From one medium eggplant you can get 8-10 servings, so making it and freezing works well.
When planning the chicken to eggplant ratio below… you need to end up with the same number of slices of both. This also can be made without the chicken and have 2 pieces of eggplant per serving, one on the top and one on the bottom. The image at the bottom is made with eggplant alone, no chicken or Capocollo.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 Boneless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 inch thick pieces then trimmed to about 5 inches round. You want them about the size of a piece of eggplant.
- 1 Medium sized eggplant peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick round pieces
- 1 16 oz. Container of Ricotta cheese
- 1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 3-4 oz. (8-10 thin sliced pieces) of Capocollo
- 1 Cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 Egg, beaten
- Oil to grease pan plus Pam
- 1 Cup of your favorite Italian red sauce
For the Dredge
- 1 Cup flour
- 1-2 Cups seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 Cup egg beaters (or 4 eggs with a dash or water)
Directions: Preheat oven to 375° F
Setup a dredging station with flour in one bowl, then the egg beaters, then a bowl with the bread crumbs. Pour about 2 tablespoons of oil onto a sheet pan and spread it out evenly. Dredge the chickens in the flour, egg and bread crumbs and lay them on the pan. Spray the top of each with Pam. Bake for 25 minutes until cooked through.
Oil another sheet pan and do the same with the eggplant. They need to cook about 20 minutes so put them in the oven about 5 minutes after you put in the chicken. Once cooked, let everything cool for 10-15 minutes so you can work with them. While chicken and eggplant is cooking, in a bowl mix together the ricotta, egg, parmesan and parsley.
Assembly:
In a baking dish with a cover, add about 1/4 cup red sauce on the bottom. Place a piece of chicken on the sauce. Top with 2-3 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture, then a slice of Capocollo. Top with a round of eggplant and some mozzarella cheese. Repeat with all the rest.
Bake covered for 20 minutes if you assembled them right after baking. They will need 25-30 minutes if they come out of the refrigerator. Remove the cover for the last 5 minutes to brown the cheese slightly. They are done when hot through and cheese is melted. Top with red sauce and serve with pasta.
