Aish Cooks

You are probably wondering if I have been on an egg diet all month, this being my 3rd post in a row with eggs in them! Well eggs just happen to be so versatile that it might even fully justify having an entire blog for these little guys. Saturday mornings are usually big-breakfast days and the only opportunity during the week to experiment or indulge in a nice home-made breakfast.. and we usually end up making some South Indian tiffin. Last week I wanted to make something different and this recipe came to mind right away. When I first saw a frittata recipe on a food show, it caught my interest right away and the idea of thick pizza-like slices of eggs filled with goodies was just too good to resist. The best thing about frittatas is that they are absolutely up to you to flavor with the things you like – you can make them with your choice of meats and / or veggies, cheese, herbs, etc. So as long as you eat eggs, there’s one for everyone out there. It was one hearty breakfast that we washed down with some mango lassi… yum!

Chicken and Vegetable Frittata

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes | Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

1. 6-7 eggs
2. 1/2 cup boneless chicken (thighs or breast meat), cut into small pieces (left-over roasted/ grilled or rotisserie chicken works great too)
3. 1/2 cup potatoes, cut into small pieces
4. 1 large tomato, chopped
5. 1/2 cup pepper strips (fresh or frozen)
6. 3/4 tbsp hot sauce (any variety, like Sriracha), or to taste (optional)
7. 1/3 cup grated cheese (mozralla or any other kind)
8. salt to taste
9. pepper to taste
10. 2 tbsp butter or olive oil

Method:

Preparing the chicken and potatoes:

1. Saute chicken pieces in a skillet with some cooking oil or butter, until the meat is cooked.
2. Remove cooked chicken pieces onto a kitchen towel lined plate and set aside.
3. Saute potato pieces in the same skillet, adding a little oil if needed, until the potatoes are fully roasted and cooked through.
4. Remove cooked potatoes onto the same plate as the chicken and set aside.

Preparing the frittata:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Break open eggs into a bowl, whisk along with a little salt and pepper to season the eggs. Set aside.
3. Heat a skillet or omlette pan and add butter (on medium heat to prevent butter form burning too fast).
4. Add chopped tomatoes, with a pinch of salt (just enough for the tomatoes), and cook for a few minutes until they are mushy and soft.
5. Add cut peppers and cook for a few more minutes, sauteing until the peppers are cooked but still have a crunch left in them.
6. Add the hot sauce and saute for another minute. Reduce heat to medium.
7. Spread out the veggies to be evenly spread out at the bottom of the skillet.
8. Add the whisked eggs to the skillet and gently help evenly fill the skillet.
9. Add the roasted potatoes and chicken on top of the eggs (they will be semi-sunken into the gooey egg base).
10. Sprinkle grated cheese all over the egg mixture (I prefer a not-too-dense layer). Turn off the heat.

Baking the frittata:

1. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the frittata is fully set (check the center with a knife or fork). You can stop sooner if you prefer slightly runny/under-cooked eggs.
2. Remove, allow to cool for a couple of minutes and slice them up like you would a pizza.

Notes:

1. To fully prepare on stove-top without using the oven – continue to cook the frittata after topping it with cheese on a very low heat, with lid on, until the eggs are fully set from top to bottom.
   
2. Watch the salt and spice levels, especially if you are using sauces, as you’re seasoning the dish all the way as you build it up.
3. Chives and thyme are the preferred choices for herbs as they flavor the eggs very well, but you can use parsley, cilantro and other herbs as well.
4. You can use chopped onions, skip the tomatoes, add ketchup and experiment with a variety of vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, etc) and meat (bacon, ham, etc).
5. Left-over meats and veggies are a great choice for this recipe.
6. A 10″ skillet works best for this size, to get a good depth with the quantity of eggs and veggies/meat being used. Very large skillets would make the frittatas too thin, almost like a regular omelette  Smaller skillets work well too, but you would need to adjust the cooking time accordingly to allow enough time for the eggs to be cooked through for the deeper depth.