Chicken fattee

At home, we call this recipe Chicken Mess, but in fact it is a fattee, which is an Arabic word for crumbled. The layers in this dish tend to be crispy flatbreads, and we make our own gluten-free versions, but shop-bought gluten-free pittas or wraps are fine here.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 4 gluten-free flatbreads (see book page 183)
• Lucy Bee coconut oil, for brushing and frying
• 190g brown rice
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

For the aubergine sauce

• 2 medium aubergines, cut into 2cm cubes
• About 4 tbsp Lucy Bee coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, well rinsed
• Himalayan salt and ground black pepper

For the yoghurt topping

• 1 small garlic clove, peeled
• Pinch of Himalayan salt
• 250g Greek yoghurt

To serve

• Handful of parsley leaves, chopped
• 10g pine nuts, toasted in a dry pan

Method

1. Preheat the overhead grill to hot, brush the flatbreads with coconut oil and grill for about 5 minutes until crisp.

2. For the yoghurt topping, mash the garlic to a paste with the salt, using a pestle and mortar or by squashing it on a board using the flat side of a large knife. Put the yoghurt in a bowl, add the garlic and mix until smooth.

3. For the sauce, melt 2 tbsp coconut oil in a large frying pan and fry the aubergine until soft, adding more oil if needed. Set aside.

4. Melt another 2 tbsp coconut oil in the same pan and gently fry the garlic until soft and starting to turn golden. Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon and tomato purée and cook gently for 15–20 minutes, adding a little water if it becomes too thick. Return the aubergine to the pan with the chickpeas and stir to mix. Adjust the seasoning and set aside. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the packet instructions.

5. Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, by placing the palm of your hand on the breast and using a sharp knife to slice across, taking great care as you cut. Slice each halved fillet lengthways into thin strips.

6. Melt 1 tbsp coconut oil in the frying pan. Season the chicken, add to the hot oil and quickly fry until cooked, about 5 minutes each side. Remove and set aside.

7. Using one big serving dish, start with a layer of broken up crisp flatbreads then add a layer of the aubergine sauce. Add the rice, then the sauce, followed by the chicken strips. Finally, add the yoghurt topping and scatter over the parsley and pine nuts.

From Coconut Oil: Nature’s Perfect Ingredient. Recipe text © 2015 Lucy Bee Limited.