I’ve never met a vegetable I didn’t like, especially ratatouille because it is chock full of all the best veggies. My husband on the other hand? Not so much, he just tolerates vegetables. I set out to create a ratatouille recipe that combined the vegetables I love with the meat he loves, with a little pasta thrown in because everything is better with pasta, right? And Ratatouille Chicken was born! Who knew I could get my husband to not just eat his vegetables, but actually like them? He enjoys this recipe so much, he considers it one of my best recipes and asks for it all the time. (Now to get my son to eat it when he comes home from college!) I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as mine does. Eat your vegetables!
Ratatouille Chicken
- 2-3 medium size Zucchini
- 1 Large Summer Yellow Squash
- 3 Tomatoes (Roma if possible)
- 1 Red or Yellow Pepper
- 1 Large Sweet Onion
- 3-4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 (8 oz) can of Tomato Sauce
- 1 Tbsp. Herb de Provence
- 1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
- 5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
- Salt + Pepper
- 2/3 c. Chicken Stock
- 1/2 c. Grated Parmesan
- 3-4 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts, thin sliced
- Favorite pasta
- 2-3 Tbsp. Shaved Parmesan
Wash and dry the vegetables. Cut the zucchini in thin slices, about 1/2 inch thick, and do the same with the summer squash, placing the slices into separate bowls.
Cut the tomatoes into bite size pieces and place in a third bowl. Remove the seeds and stem from the pepper, cut into small chunks and place in a separate bowl. Finally, peel and slice the onion into thin slices, then chip and separate into another bowl. Take about 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, mix with half the chopped garlic cloves and set aside.
Take a large baking dish and pour the can of tomato sauce in the bottom of the dish. Add the herb de provence (thyme, basil, marjoram, parsley, oregano, tarragon, rosemary, and fennel mixture), about half of the chopped garlic, balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and stir to blend. Lay the pieces of chicken in the sauce, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of parmesan over the chicken.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Take your zucchini slices and layer them at an angle over the the chicken in a overlapping pattern, starting along the outside of the dish and working your way inward, until all the chicken is covered. Once the entire dish is covered with the squash, take a few handfuls of tomato, onion, and pepper, and sprinkle on top of the squash layer, then gently press the vegetables down flat so they cover the whole dish.
Brush all the vegetables with the garlic/olive oil blend, then sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese. Add another layer of the zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, and onion until the dish is completely covered, then brush with more garlic/olive oil and sprinkle with another tablespoon of parmesan. Pour the 2/3 cup of chicken stock over the vegetables and cover the dish with aluminum foil.
Place the dish in a heated oven and bake with the foil on it for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle the top with shaved parmesan cheese and bake another 15 minutes more. While the dish is finishing, boil your favorite pasta. Remove the Ratatouille Chicken from the oven, let sit 10 minutes to cool, then cut and spoon over pasta to serve. There should still be enough flavorful juices in the bottom of the pan to spoon over the pasta.
Note: This is great served over rice too.
Other Favorite Chicken Dishes
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