I am on a Gnocchi buzz since returning from Italy this summer, so constantly on the hunt for recipes to recreate those I enjoyed and new ones to try at home.
My most recent dish is Crack Chicken Gnocchi by Siobhan from Slimming Eats - fluffy pieces of gnocchi in a creamy, ranch-style sauce with juicy chicken breasts, melted cheddar, mozzarella & bacon. You can adjust this to suit a low fat recipe, whichever you prefer.
Ingredients:
- 2 small uncooked chicken breasts, approx 360g
- 840ml of chicken stock - I like to use either Carol's or Kallo
- 75g of Pancetta ,
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 120ml of Milk
- ½ tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 175g Philadelphia
- ½ tablespoon of Cornflour
- 1 teaspoon of Dried Parsley
- 1 teaspoon of Dried Chives
- 1 teaspoon of Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon of Dried Dill
- ½ teaspoon of Garlic Powder
- 500g of Potato Gnocchi
- 60g Cheddar, grated (do not use pre-grated) - or Red Leicester. I also add Buffalo Mozzarella but it is not necessary, I just love cheese!!!
Instructions:
- Add chicken to a saucepan fully submerged in 480ml of the stock, bring to a boil and then simmer for approx 10-12 minutes until cooked. Drain, remove from pan, allow chicken to cool slightly and then slice up into pieces and set aside. (If you prefer you can use the stock you poached the chicken in towards the sauce for Gnocchi (but the stock must equal 360ml for the sauce).
- While the chicken is poaching, add some oil to a non-stick frying pan. Medium heat.
- Add the bacon and fry until evenly golden and crisp. Set aside.
- In the same frying pan, add a little more olive oil and add the shallot and fry until lightly golden and softened.
- Add in the minced garlic cloves and fry for 30 seconds just to infuse the flavour.
- Add the remaining stock 360ml, milk, lemon juice, dried herbs, dried seasoning and Philadelphia and whisk until it is all melted into the stock and no visible lumps appear. Mix the cornflour with a couple of tablespoons of water and add this to the sauce, stirring as you do.
- Add the poached chicken and uncooked gnocchi, and bring to a boil and then let it bubble on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the gnocchi is cooked and the sauce is creamy and thick. (If the sauce is not thickening, your heat is too low.) Once gnocchi is cooked and the sauce is thickened, taste and adjust the seasoning with some salt and black pepper if needed.
- Transfer to an ovenproof dish and top with the grated cheddar, place under the grill (broil) for a couple of minutes until the cheddar is melted and very lightly golden.
- Sprinkle with the cooked golden crispy bacon and some chopped fresh parsley (or spring onions or chives).
- Serve and Enjoy!!
