Low FODMAP Chicken Ratatouille is the best of both worlds: an easy braised chicken dish and ratatouille – eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, olive oil, garlic and onion flavor – all in one delicious dish.
What Is Ratatouille?
We have a Low FODMAP Ratatouille recipe for you (without the chicken) and in that recipe we delve into this classic French vegetable dish.
In brief, it is an ancient dish that hails from Provence (or perhaps even earlier from the Basque region of Spain). It takes advantage of late summer produce and combines them in one hearty stew. The techniques used can range from stovetop, to oven time, to a combination of techniques. Our Low FODMAP Ratatouille takes advantage of roasting the vegetables. It can be served as a side dish, a light main dish – add a poached egg! – or alongside rice.
Here, we make the ratatouille along with juicy chicken thighs for a complete meal. You could add rice on the side, or quinoa or crusty low FODMAP bread to sop up the juices. We do like a green salad alongside. Try our No FODMAP Leafy Green Salad.
Bone-in, Skin On Chicken Thighs
We love chicken thighs in every form. They are a pure protein, and therefore low FODMAP, and we think they are the juiciest of the cuts, you can often get good deals on them and they are easy to cook.
We use bone-in, skin on the most frequently. Bone-in adds flavor, which is always a good thing. The thing with chicken skin is that in braises it tends to become flabby unless crisped and browned first, so we pay close attention to that in our first step.
How To Make Low FODMAP Chicken Ratatouille
Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add about half the oil and heat to shimmering. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook, without moving for several minutes.
Once the skin turns golden brown and crispy, flip over and cook the second side, about 8 minutes total. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. You can see in the image below that one piece is very well browned, the others less so. This is the stage in the recipe for you to get the skin as crispy as you like it.
Add remaining oil, add scallion greens and sauté on low-medium heat until softened.
Stir in the eggplant and sauté until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Here is what it looks like when you first stir it in.
Here it is cooked down a bit. Get the eggplant nice and soft.
Then stir in tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, tomato paste, thyme and FreeFod Garlic Replacer, if using.
Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Nestle the chicken down into the ratatouille, cover, and adjust heat to a simmer.
Continue to cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), about 10 minutes more. Tear fresh basil and/or thyme and scatter over the top right before serving. Even flat-leaf parsley will add the fresh burst of herbs that this dish demands,
We love this dish with rice or low FODMAP crusty bread and a green salad. The braise can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; wait to add basil upon reheating.
The day I made this dish in the Test Kitchen, Rose was buried in her favorite red blanket on her red beanbag. Once she smelled this dish cooking she came right in to taste test. If the aroma is enticing enough, she can extract herself in record time!
Low FODMAP Chicken Ratatouille
Low FODMAP Chicken Ratatouille is the best of both worlds: an easy braised chicken dish and ratatouille – eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, olive oil, garlic and onion flavor – all in one delicious dish.
Ingredients:
- 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Low FODMAP Garlic-Infused Oil, made with olive oil, or purchased equivalent
- ¾ cup (48 g) chopped scallions, green parts only
- 1- pound (455 g) eggplant, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 2- pounds (910 g) beefsteak tomatoes, cut into ½-inch (12 mm) dice
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into ½-inch (12 mm) dice
- 1 red bell pepper, trimmed, cored and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- ½ teaspoon FreeFod Garlic Replacer, optional
- Fresh basil leaves
- Fresh thyme
Preparation:
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Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
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Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add about half the oil and heat to shimmering. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook, without moving, until golden brown and crispy; flip over and cook the second side, about 8 minutes total. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
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Add remaining oil, add scallion greens and sauté on low-medium heat until softened. Stir in the eggplant and sauté until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes, zucchini, red bell pepper, tomato paste, thyme and FreeFod Garlic Replacer, if using. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes
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Nestle the chicken down into the ratatouille, skin side up, cover, and adjust heat to a simmer. Continue to cook until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C), about 10 minutes more. Tear fresh basil and/or thyme and scatter over the top right before serving. We love this dish with rice or low FODMAP crusty bread and a green salad. The braise can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days; wait to add basil upon reheating.
Notes:
Tips
- We do like this dish with fresh basil and thyme, but even fresh parsley will enhance. Use flat-leaf parsley if you go that route.
FODMAP Information
Our recipes are based on Monash University and FODMAP Friendly science.
- Garlic-Infused Oil: Make your own Garlic-Infused Oil or buy a commercial equivalent for the easiest way to add garlic flavor to your food. Fructans in garlic are not oil-soluble, so garlic-infused oil is low FODMAP.
- Red Bell Peppers: Red bell peppers have been lab tested by Monash University and have shown no detectable FODMAPs. FODMAP Friendly has lab tested red bell peppers and states that 1 small pepper at 75 g is low FODMAP.
- Scallions: The green parts of scallions are low FODMAP as determined by Monash University lab testing and can be used to add onion flavor to your low FODMAP cooking.
- Tomatoes: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested common, beefsteak tomatoes. Monash University lab tests have shown no FODMAPs. FODMAP Friendly gives them a “Pass” at ½ cup (75 g) portions. Cherry tomatoes and Plum (Roma) tomatoes have also been tested by Monash and FODMAP Friendly. Both Monash and FODMAP Friendly recommend 75 g of cherry tomatoes as a serving (about 5 or ½ cup) and 75 g of plum or Roma tomatoes, which is about 1 small tomato or ½ cup.
- Zucchini: Both Monash University and FODMAP Friendly have lab tested zucchini (also called marrow or courgette). FODMAP Friendly gives it a “Pass” at ½ cup (75 g) portions; they also list that in larger amounts the vegetable contains fructose, fructans and GOS. Monash lists ⅓ cup (65 g) as low FODMAP, showing it to be Moderate for fructans in portions of ½ cup (75 g).
Please always refer to the Monash University & FODMAP Friendly smartphone apps for the most up-to-date lab tested information. As always, your tolerance is what counts; please eat accordingly. The ultimate goal of the low FODMAP diet is to eat as broadly as possible, without triggering symptoms, for the healthiest microbiome.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.
This was amazing!!!! Your website is saving me. Thank you so much
So happy we have been able to make a difference for you!
We really enjoyed this! It was a nice change of pace from the salads, grain bowls, and Asian style dishes I had been relying on. Those are great too, but I had been craving a simple, warm “comfort food” type meal. It was perfect for that particular night, which happened to be very cold. So, we enjoyed a nice, cozy meal by the fire. The fresh herbs were a great addition, and I also added a small bit of crushed red pepper to the simmering sauce. Served with short grain brown rice for more fiber, a bit of chewy texture.
Lela, thank you for writing and we are so happy you enjoyed it – and made it your own.
I would like to make this with canned tomatoes. What size can would you recommend?
Try the same amount – 2 pounds – of diced and drain them a bit and give it a try. The recipe should work but the FODMAP load will change going from no FODMAP fresh tomatoes to a recommended serving size max of 92 g of the canned – and that is not taking stacking account FYI