Chicken Sinatra w/ Pictures

[jerseyjay14]

Went out to dinner a few days ago and my girlfriend ordered the "chicken sinatra" it was a chicken breast topped with an eggplant slice and mozzerella cheese over angel hair and mushrooms in a wine tomato sauce... it wasnt all that great as it was really dry and everything was just too soupy but i liked the idea and thought id try it out tonite....

Instead of the soupy mess wine/tomato sauce i went with vermicelli fra diablo and i butterflied the breasts so they wouldn't be so dry. turned out pretty good... the spicy sauce gave it a nice kick.

 

[keltin]

Went out to dinner a few days ago and my girlfriend ordered the "chicken sinatra" it was a chicken breast topped with an eggplant slice and mozzerella cheese over angel hair and mushrooms in a wine tomato sauce... it wasnt all that great as it was really dry and everything was just too soupy but i liked the idea and thought id try it out tonite....

Instead of the soupy mess wine/tomato sauce i went with vermicelli fra diablo and i butterflied the breasts so they wouldn't be so dry. turned out pretty good... the spicy sauce gave it a nice kick.

Soooooooooooo.....you're saying you did it your way and it was much better????

Looks good! Gonna have to try this!

 

[amber]

Keltin Funny one! JerseyJay, that dish does sound really good to me too. I love chicken, eggplant, mozzarella, and of course pasta sauce, though I'm not keen on angel hair pasta, too thin for me. I like your re-creation!

 

[jerseyjay14]

Keltin Funny one! JerseyJay, that dish does sound really good to me too. I love chicken, eggplant, mozzarella, and of course pasta sauce, though I'm not keen on angel hair pasta, too thin for me. I like your re-creation!

i prefer bowties or penne myself but i used what they did... i usually fry the pasta and sauce together in a pan over high heat for a minute or so...stiffens it up bit... might want to try it out

 

[jerseyjay14]

Soooooooooooo.....you're saying you did it your way and it was much better????

Looks good! Gonna have to try this!

well.... yeah i suppose

 

[keltin]

well.... yeah i suppose

Ok, just to make sure I didn’t step on any toes here. Sinatra…..Frank Sinatra.......sang a song called “My Way”. Famous for it, but that was way back in the day, and some younger folk may not know it. I’m not terribly old (but hey, who is?!?!?!), but Grandma and Mom LOVED Ole Blue Eyes, so I’m a bit versed in some of his works.

Here’s a verse from the song he is so well known for:

"And more, much more than this, I did it my way"

Which, in this case of Sinatra Pasta….you DID do it your way!

 

[jerseyjay14]

Ok, just to make sure I didn’t step on any toes here. Sinatra…..Frank Sinatra.......sang a song called “My Way”. Famous for it, but that was way back in the day, and some younger folk may not know it. I’m not terribly old (but hey, who is?!?!?!), but Grandma and Mom LOVED Ole Blue Eyes, so I’m a bit versed in some of his works.

Here’s a verse from the song he is so well known for:

"And more, much more than this, I did it my way"

Which, in this case of Sinatra Pasta….you DID do it your way!

wow i totally missed that... and im a bit of a sinatra fan myself.... lol... good one.

ever see the SNL skits when phil hartman did sinatra?

 

[keltin]

wow i totally missed that... and im a bit of a sinatra fan myself.... lol... good one.

ever see the SNL skits when phil hartman did sinatra?

No I haven't seen that! I'll have to try and catch that on the SNL re-runs! Sounds good.

 

[Katie H]

You know, jersey, you might want to "kick it up a notch" by breading the eggplant slice in egg and panko and lightly browning/frying it before you add it to the main dish. This would add another level of texture. Just my take.

 

[*amy*]

Joizey, Frank... er Phil, would be proud.

That looks seriously GOOD!!!

Keltin

 

[jerseyjay14]

You know, jersey, you might want to "kick it up a notch" by breading the eggplant slice in egg and panko and lightly browning/frying it before you add it to the main dish. This would add another level of texture. Just my take.

thanks ill try that out for sure

 

[keltin]

As for the recipe, I’d scale back on the pasta. In the pic you’ve got 4x pasta and sauce to the chicken and eggplant. The chicken should shine here so I’d suggest knocking the pasta back by 3/4 and smooth it out thinner so that it is a “taste” and not a major function of the dish. The chicken and eggplant with sauce should shine here and not be a “meatball” topping for the sauce and noodles. Let the noodles and sauce be a minor compliment and not the major function here.

JMHO!

 

[auntdot]

I love the idea of the fra diavolo here, although I always love the idea of fra diavolo. I might add a slice of ham though

 

[buckytom]

jj, nice dish, modifications, and pic.

k.t.e., panko? marone a mi!
breading, yes ( then not served over pasta, but as a seperate course, or pasta as a side), but with italian seasoned breadcrumbs, sauteed in olivio olio.

breading and frying the breast will keep the chicken moist and tender, and adds another dimension of texture and flavor. but then don't serve it over pasta.

if you want to stay a bit healthier, then go with the plain/seasoned breast. nuttin' wrong with that, but you're cooking time will be less forgiving, before it toughens and dries out.

you can't go wrong adding a pinch of hot pepper flakes to many tomato sauces. fra diavolo, or of the devil in italian (diablo is spanish), is a favourite of mine. oddly, it goes equally great with fish, pork, and beef as well.
if you watch any of the greats, like mario batalli or lidia bastianich, they often add a pinch for background flavor.

i agree with auntdot and think you should go for the gold by adding a slice of prosciutto between the breaded/fried breast and the eggplant.
btw, the dish would then be called chicken sorrentino.

bread and lightly fry the breast in olive oil, place in a baking dish and top with a little sauce, a slice or two of prosciutto, then a slice of floured/lightly sauteed eggplant, a little more sauce, some mozarella, then bake until the cheese melts and toasts a bit.

 

[jerseyjay14]

jj, nice dish, modifications, and pic.

k.t.e., panko? marone a mi!
breading, yes ( then not served over pasta, but as a seperate course, or pasta as a side), but with italian seasoned breadcrumbs, sauteed in olivio olio.

breading and frying the breast will keep the chicken moist and tender, and adds another dimension of texture and flavor. but then don't serve it over pasta.

if you want to stay a bit healthier, then go with the plain/seasoned breast. nuttin' wrong with that, but you're cooking time will be less forgiving, before it toughens and dries out.

you can't go wrong adding a pinch of hot pepper flakes to many tomato sauces. fra diavolo, or of the devil in italian (diablo is spanish), is a favourite of mine. oddly, it goes equally great with fish, pork, and beef as well.
if you watch any of the greats, like mario batalli or lidia bastianich, they often add a pinch for background flavor.

i agree with auntdot and think you should go for the gold by adding a slice of prosciutto between the breaded/fried breast and the eggplant.
btw, the dish would then be called chicken sorrentino.

bread and lightly fry the breast in olive oil, place in a baking dish and top with a little sauce, a slice or two of prosciutto, then a slice of floured/lightly sauteed eggplant, a little more sauce, some mozarella, then bake until the cheese melts and toasts a bit.

thanks for all the great tips guys! i'll defiently be implementing these in trying to perfect this! As far as the prosciutto, i was thinking along those lines and may instead use some hot capicolla as it would mesh well with the whole spiciness thing.