A Favorite Meal - Chicken & Gnocchi

Before Kevin and I had kids we loved chicken piccata. And then I forgot about it until one day, I saw one of the chefs on the Today Show make a similar dish. So, I made it and it was a hit.....and by hit, I mean, the kids raved about it for weeks, and begged to have "Chicken & Gnocchi" every night.

Years later, it is still a favorite dish in the Ferrie family. I make it about twice a month, and that isn't even enough for the kids. What do I love about it? Well, it's fairly healthy, easy to make (about 30 minutes), it is versatile and super yummy leftover - that is if there are any leftovers! 

The girls had been begging me to make this dish for over a week now, so I promised them I'd make it, and after each of the kids had multiple helpings, I thought I'd share this recipe:

You'll need:

 a frying pan. 

some lemons (2) 

chicken broth - about 2 cups one container of Gnocchi - (you can get it in the pasta aisle, and sometimes the frozen food section by the raviolis, etc) 

boneless chicken breasts or Mahi Mahi - about 1.5-1.75lbs feeds our family. 

1/4 cup white wine - be sure to set some aside for yourself to drink...since you've opened the bottle, you do need to drink it....The wine is not necessary, and I do not always use it, but it does add some nice flavor.

2-3 beaten eggs in bowl

One cup (or so) of flour (I use unbleached or even whole wheat flour) in bowl. Add some garlic powder and pepper to flour. (Add in any other seasonings)

Fill pan with about a 1/4'' oil (veg or olive oil) and heat.

When oil heated, coat chicken with flour, then cover in egg and pan fry. I'd say about 3-4? Minutes per side, once golden brown, flip. When chicken is cooked most of the way (not completely) remove from pan and set aside. 

Don't worry about cooking chicken all the way through... 

Once chicken is cooked golden brown, dump oil out, and leave just enough to coat bottom of pan. 

Drop heat on pan to low.

About a 1 tbsp of chopped garlic (more or less depending on how much garlic you like)

Then, cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into the pan, then, take the halves of lemon and put them in the pan. 

Put about half the container of chicken stock 2 cups (for about 1.5-1.75lbs of chicken breasts), about 1/4-1/2 cup white wine into the pan.

Big spoonful of butter (about 1-2 tablespoons) and about 3-4 tablespoons of flour. 

Dinner is served....Three happy girls, and a little plate set aside
for our little Prince, Callum.

Whisk everything together, and put on high heat until simmer. 

While I am waiting to simmer, I will start to boil water for the gnocchi. 

When it starts to simmer, I will take a taste and see how the lemon flavor is - if you want more, squeeze a little bit more lemon (from the 2nd lemon) into the mix, and if not, just leave it. If it is too strong add a little bit of chicken broth.

If the mix still seems watery, add some more flour (another tablespoon). Just be sure not to add too much or all of a sudden it can get pretty thick. 

Once the mix starts to thicken up a bit, (I continue to whisk mix, too) I will turn to low heat and replace the chicken into the pan with the mix, so it marinates and finishes cooking in the lemon sauce. 

Once the sauce is to the consistency I want, I cook the gnocchi (about 3 minutes). 

Once gnocchi is cooked, you can either mix it all together, or just take some gravy, and mix it with the gnocchi and serve.