Isn’t he handsome? In fact, he’s so handsome that I bought both him and his brother, with no intention other than to have some sweet and delicious fennel around the house to snack on. And then I realized I also had some of these…
And some of these…
And all of the sudden that grilled chicken I was planning to make for dinner disappeared in a puff of smoke. All I needed was a lighter form of dumpling than those usual big wonderful puffy ones that I make in, say, February. Something like, well, gnocchi. Now, if you are really feeling energetic you can make your own gnocchi to go with this dish. Gnocchi are traditionally made from potatoes, but I once made ricotta gnocchi myself, and they were both pretty straightforward to make and pretty easy, and the next time I make this recipe I’m going to make my own gnocchi for it. I am. But this time around things were happening fast, so I packed the Southern husband off to the supermarket to get a package of pre-made gnocchi. You gotta do what you gotta do.
So here’s what happens. Take some nice chicken broth (I like the Pacific and Imagine varieties) and cook up a few chicken breasts in the broth until they are just cooked through. Take out the chicken, saving the hot broth. Cool ‘em off a little and shred them into bite-sized pieces. Can I just say that shredded chicken is heaven? It is.
Now melt a little butter in a small pot and stir in some flour to make a nice little roux. Whisk it into your hot broth, and in a few minutes it’s going to thicken it up just enough to make a gorgeous light sauce. Now toss in all those lovely chopped veggies…the fennel, the leek, the carrots…and let them simmer for about 5 minutes. You want them cooked but not mushy. Now add the chicken back to the pot with some chopped parsley and a little salt and pepper and stir it all up.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, cook up your gnocchi in a pot of boiling water until they are nice and tender…this is going to take about 5 minutes. Drain ‘em and add them to the chicken mixture, and stir it all lovingly until it’s one big pot of deliciousness. Now transfer it to a big serving bowl or individual plates and garnish it with a little more parsley and some parmesan that you have cleverly shaved with your vegetable peeler.
Springtime chicken and dumplings. Who knew??
Ingredients
Directions
Still Hungry?
Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken, from Framed Cooks
Chicken Alfredo, from Recipe Girl
Butter Chicken, from Framed Cooks
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit










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Perfect timing, will make this tomorrow for my book club! We read MAINE, by J.Courtney Sullivan.
Sounds like the perfect combination!
I never realized that gnocchi are just the summery version of dumplings…but they SO ARE. Good call on that one. I’m loving all the spring veggies in this dish!
Right?? I love gnocchi. I just need to figure out how to spell it correctly the first time…I’ve been doing a lot of re-typing!
This dish looks good and healthy. I plan to make this for my family one of these days. Thank you.
You are so welcome – hope you love it!
I have to try this, we make gnocchi all the time here.
In fact, in Buenos Aires, the first Thursday of every month is Gnochhi day
I also make a roast chicken with tomatoes and gnocchi that is so easy and fast, just throw it all in the oven and let it cook , the gnocchi soaks up the juices .. delish.
OMG, that sounds like HEAVEN!
I’ve never had gnocchi in a soup. I can’t wait to try this!
You’ll have to tell me what you think!
My mom used to make gnocchi whenever she made ravioli. She’d make the filling (spinach and meat) and double the recipe, using part for the ravioli and the rest for gnocchi. They make excellent tiny meatballs to add to a nice vegetable soup for a little more substance. I don’t think I’ve ever had the potato ones, or cheese, either.
Those veggies really sing with color and flavor. I love the fennel – there’s so many things you can do with it. You know, you could take the chicken and veggies alone, put a nice dressing on them and do a wrap or fill a pita pocket. That would be excellent, too. Great combination!
i made this last night! my boyfriend and i loved it. tasted like a meal which took a long time…even thought it didn’t!
Also, I should add, the dish tasted even better when we went back for seconds an hour after it was sitting out. The gnocchi seems to absorb more of the liquid.
Thanks Erin — and yes, I can definitely see how this would make excellent leftovers!