Chicken Stackers

the final product!
Originally uploaded by matt.

This dish was the product of one of those "what do I have in the house that I can throw together into some semblance of an edible meal" times. Luckily, the final product was not only edible, but so good that it has been added to my permanent repertoire.

Directions:
I like to use boneless chicken breasts, as they're the easiest to stack upon. I also cut them in half to maximize the chicken to toppings ratio. I marinate the chicken in an olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper marinade (a good balsamic dressing works well, too). While the chicken is marinading, I grill up some thinly sliced eggplant brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with s&p. Then, I grill up the chicken to the point where it's just underdone.

Now it's time to stack. I've experimented with some different toppings, but this is my favorite combo.

In order, from bottom to top:
- chicken
- eggplant
- fresh basil
- roasted red pepper
- thick slice of mozzarella cheese
- tomato slice

After you've assembled your stackers, you can put them back on the grill, but be careful! In the interest of time, I usually use jarred red peppers, and they tend to be a bit oily. Oily middle stacker component = slippery sliding stacker mess waiting to happen. An easier solution is to just assemble your stackers on a jelly roll pan and then throw them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Everything is cooked, you just want to heat them up and melt the cheese.

Enjoy!