One of my all time favorite dishes is shakshuka, or Eggs in Purgatory. Never underestimate the power of eggs, especially for lunch or dinner. This version I call “Eggs in Purgatory 3.0” because well… I’ve done a lot of different variations of shakshuka, and needed another name. And of course, this being my latest variation, I think this one is the best. Shredded chicken and some extra veggies take it up a notch to make it more filling and nutritious (you could also serve this over brown rice if you know you have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed!) Additionally, I’ve tried to simplify this recipe so it isn’t a long list of ingredients (garlic and spices are delicious, but really add up and can seem a bit overwhelming- this recipe is one of those that is super simple).
The sauce I used here was Mina. It’s expensive but SO good. You can find it at Whole Foods, Amazon, and some specialty stores. I stretch mine out by adding in another can of tomato sauce. Alternatively, if you don’t want to spend the money or can’t find the sauce, you could use 16 oz. of tomato sauce and add in some spices to replace the Mina shakshuka sauce (see here for my other Shakshuka recipe for spices)
Eggs in Purgatory 3.0
Serves 6
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil or spray
- 32 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 4 large swiss chard leaves, julienned*
- 1 16 oz. jar shakshuka sauce (Mina brand- see my note above)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups shredded chicken (see this recipe here for a slow cooker/Instant Pot version OR here for an oven version)
- 6 eggs (1/person)
- fresh parmesan (1/4 cup)
- small handful of basil, julienned
*My recommendation is to roll the swiss chard leaves up horizontally, and then slice into large thin pieces. Then rotate your knife and cut these thin long pieces into smaller ones. This helps make sure you don’t have large stringy greens while eating!
Heat a large pan (make sure this is a pan you have a cover for!) over low to medium heat. Spray with oil or add in a tablespoon or so. Place zucchini and swiss chard in pan and saute until lightly brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add in shakshuka sauce, tomato sauce, and sea salt. Str to combine and turn up heat to medium until the mixture is lightly bubbling. Once the sauce has begun to bubble, turn the heat down to low and stir in the shredded chicken.
Now, here’s the point where you can stop if you want to make this dinner for the week. This sauce will easily last the week, and you can refrigerate it and then heat it up and finish it off with the eggs for each dinner (the poached eggs will definitely not hold and should be served immediately). If you are making this individually, my suggestion is to use a much smaller saute pan for this last step.
Make a small indent in the sauce where you want to crack each egg. Then crack eggs (1/person) in each indent on top of the mixture. Cover the pan until the egg whites have set, but the yolk is still runny, about 2-4 minutes. This is probably the hardest part of this recipe, and requires a bit of practice and careful monitoring- it’s no fun to have an overcooked egg! If you’re worried about this, my suggestion is to try it with one egg in a smaller pan first, and then repeat- once you’ve done it once, you’ll have a better sense of timing and what to look for.
Top dish with basil and fresh parmesan and serve immediately.