Chicken Parmigiana

Italian-style dish of chicken breasts, oven-baked with a low-fat, chunky vegetable sauce, with Parmesan topping. Serve with a warm ciabatta or baguette to spice up the taste.

Cooking time 55 minutes, preparation time 10 minutes.

2 table spoons olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

200g small mushrooms, quartered

1 large eggplant, diced

500g roma tomatoes, roughly chopped

15g fresh basil, roughly torn

4 skinless chicken breast fillets (about 500g in total)

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1) Preheat the oven to 190 deg C. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes until lightly coloured, stirring frequently.

2) Stir in the eggplant, cook for 2 minutes, then add the tomatoes and stir over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 15 minutes until thick. Stir in the basil and season.

3) Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a deep ovenproof baking dish or casserole dish and spoon the sauce over the top. Cover and bake for about 25 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

4) Towards the end of the cooking time, preheat the grill. uncover the chicken and sprinkle the cheese over the top of the dish. Put the dish under the grill for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.