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Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
Tender chicken and soft, pillowy gnocchi simmered in a rich, flavorful creamy tomato sauce, this recipe perfect for a midweek supper! Simple to make and on the table in 30 mins.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil - 1
- 200 g chicken thighs - 2
- 2 clove garlic
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp chilli flake
- 200 ml chicken stock - 3
- 250 g gnocchi - 4
- 60 ml double cream
- 2 tbsp tomato puree / paste
- 20 g Grana Padano / Parmesan - 5
- 1 handful spinach leaves
Instructions
- Cook the chicken - Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. Add the oil to a lidded 9 inch / 24 cm pan and fry the chicken for a few minutes until it is no longer pink. While the chicken is cooking peel and chop the garlic.200 g chicken thighs, 2 tsp olive oil
- Add the flavourings - add the chopped garlic, herbs and chilli flake and cook for another two minutes, stirring all the time until fragrant.2 clove garlic, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp chilli flake, ½ tsp dried thyme
- Add and cook the gnocchi - Add the stock and the gnocchi. Put the lid on, bring to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for 5 minutes.If you are using frozen leftover gnocchi, give them an extra minute or two cooking time.200 ml chicken stock, 250 g gnocchi
- Make the sauce - Add the cream, tomato puree and two thirds of the cheese. Stir everything together, replace the lid and let everything gently simmer for another couple of minutes.The sauce probably looks too runny at this stage – do not worry it will all thicken up.60 ml double cream, 2 tbsp tomato puree / paste, 20 g Grana Padano / Parmesan
- Add the spinach - Now add the spinach leaves, removing any bulkier stems, just place them on top of the sauce, there is no need to stir them in at this stage. Cover and let everything gently simmer for another two minutes until the spinach wilts.If you want, repeat the process with more spinach, you will be surprised at how much you can add, as it wilts to almost nothing.1 handful spinach leaves
- Season & Serve - stir in the spinach, season to taste, sprinkle over the remains of the Parmesan.
Notes
Ingredients
- Oil - I prefer a light but unrefined olive oil - but any neutral oil is suitable.
- Chicken - Thighs work far better than breast in this recipe. They are juicer, have more flavour and are cheaper.
- Stock - regular stock from a stock cube chicken or vegetable
- Gnocchi - Potato gnocchi - the type that is like baby dumplings
- Cheese - finely grated Italian hard cheese - Grana Padano or Parmesan type is perfect
- Use cooked florets of Tenderstem broccoli in place of the spinach.
- Add some chilli sauce with the cream and tomato to spice it up.
- Use half stock and half white wine for a restaurant-quality dish.
- Add a couple of teaspoons of capers.
- Swap tomato puree for sundried tomato paste. Or add some pieces of sundried tomatoes towards the end of cooking.
- Add some bacon. Cut into small pieces, and cook at the beginning with the chicken.
- Add some sliced mushrooms. Slice and cook before the chicken, then set aside. Add with the spinach at the end of cooking.
Hints and tips
- Choose a good heavy pan with a lid that fits for best results.
- Don’t be scared of adding plenty of spinach. It looks a lot but it disappears into the sauce quite quickly. I find it’s quicker and easier to add a handful at a time and let the first batch wilt before adding more.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.
Calories: 694kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 976mg | Potassium: 1145mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2688IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 7mg