Chicken with Mushrooms in an Eggplant Basil Cream Sauce

Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs (bone-in is ok). Remove all fat and cut into small pieces (about 3/4 in). Salt and pepper; dredge in flour. Heat oil until shimmering in a non-non-stick pan. Brown chicken pieces on one side. Flip and stir in one medium diced onion, 4-5 cloves sliced garlic, shittake mushrooms sliced in half, and one peeled and diced eggplant. Stir until chicken is brown on all sides. Deglaze pan with dry vermouth. When all brown bits are scraped off, add chicken stock to cover and 5 sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, lower heat and cook at a gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes, until sauce thickens and chicken is tender. Remove lid, turn heat up, and reduce sauce by half. Stir in 1/2 bunch of julienned basil and a splash of cream. Turn off heat.

Serve with quinoa, cooked in mushroom broth (if using dried shittakes) or chicken broth.