Mama Holli’s Italian Chicken and Eggplant Casserole

First, you need your gravy! I usually make my own, but you may use any store brands: Prego, Ragu, Paul Newman, you get the picture! If using store-bought, get the flavor you like best. Get that heating up in a pot! If using a store brand, you might want to add some fresh garlic and a splash of red wine to spruce it up a bit. Wine makes everything better!

Next you will peel the eggplant. Take the purple skin off with a knife. Slice the eggplant in 1/4-inch round slices. Spread the slices out on a kitchen towel. Lightly salt each slice and let it sweat for 5 minutes, then flip and repeat on the other side.

Heat up about 1 cup of olive oil in a skillet. Take each slice of eggplant and dip into milk and then flour. Fry the eggplant about 4 slices at a time until slightly brown on each side, then place on a plate with paper towels to drain.

In a separate skillet, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat on medium high. Add the cubed chicken to the pan and cook until done. Season with garlic powder and pepper.

Take a baking dish about 9 x 13 and spread about 1 cup of the gravy in the dish. Layer the bottom of the dish with half of the fried eggplant. Add the chicken on top of the eggplant and cover with half of the remaining gravy. Add half of the cheese and evenly spread over the gravy. Layer the remaining eggplant, gravy and cheese.

Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve hot with salad and bread! Don’t forget to eat any leftovers for breakfast. With most Italian dishes, it is usually even better the second day! Those Italians just know how to cook!