Recipe: Nancy's Restaurant Chicken Breast Melanzani (with eggplant, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes)

NANCY'S RESTAURANT CHICKEN BREAST MELANZANI

6 (six ounces each) boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1 medium eggplant
8 ounces of fresh spinach, well washed
4 diced tomatoes
4 ounces sundried tomatoes (soaked in water for 1 hour)
1 cup dry Marsala wine
2 cloves garlic, minced and crushed with the flat of a knife
Fresh basil leaves
Fresh oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seed
Olive oil, for frying
Flour
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4- to 1/2-inch slices. Dredge these in flour. Brown them in a medium hot skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a few minutes on each side. The eggplant will absorb some of the oil so keep adding enough oil so the slices won't stick. When the eggplant is brown on both sides set them on paper towels to cool.

Coat the chicken breasts with flour and saut them in the same skillet with a little olive oil. Cook over moderate heat until brown on both sides.

Place one or two slices of eggplant over each chicken breast, add fennel seeds to the skillet, let them cook a few seconds in the olive oil.

Add fresh tomatoes, Marsala, sun-dried tomatoes (cut in half), crushed garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Fresh basil and oregano can be chopped and set aside while the chicken breasts are simmering; about 5 to 10 minutes.

When chicken is just cooked sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of fresh basil and 1/2 tablespoon oregano over chicken, then spread spinach leaves over the breasts. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. After a couple of minutes the spinach should be wilted over the eggplant and chicken but not be overcooked. The spinach leaves should be dark green and shiny.

Take the chicken breasts out of the skillet and set them on a large platter with the sauce around them but not on top. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Serves: 5
Source: Nancy's Restaurant
Source: The Daily Camera, Boulder, Colorado