I love meals that can be served up in one big dish and placed in the middle of the table for everyone to share and help themselves. This chicken with herbs and gnocchi fits the bill perfectly and like many of my recipes it was made with a few ingredients from the fridge/freezer and store cupboard with herbs from the garden. That means it’s easy for you to change the flavours by using different herbs or spices.
Gnocchi, like pasta is great store cupboard standby and makes a change from using potatoes or pasta, especially when including in a one pot dish. It’s also ideal as it cooks very quickly, usually in 3 minutes. Once cooked I like to saute the gnocchi for a few minutes in the pan that the chicken was browned in as it adds a nice golden colour and some extra flavour when it picks up all the bits from the pan. I have made my own gnocci, but to be honest, when it’s a quick meal you’re looking for, a good quality pre made version will be just fine. I like De Cecco for pasta and gnocchi but use whatever make suits your taste and budget.
I added 2 Italian sausages to make the dish go a bit further but it will be fine with any sausage or indeed leave them out and just use chicken.
Chicken with herbs and gnocchi.
- 5 tbsp olive
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 -3 tbsp fresh herbs - chopped I used rosemary, thyme, parsley and oregano
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 chicken thighs I used boneless but bone in will work equally well
- 2 Italian sausages optional, or use any type of pork sausage.
- 4 shallots - finely chopped
- 4 Garlic cloves - sliced
- 8 small tomatoes - halved or half a tin of plum tomatoes
- 12 - 15 green olives - halved
- 2 tbsp fresh herbs - chopped
- 1 Bay leaf
- Approx 200ml White wine
- 1 500g packet Gnocchi
- Place the marinade ingredients in a bowl or plastic bag, mix well, add the chicken thighs and leave to marinate in the fridge 2 - 3 hours.
- Pre Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5 Remove the Chicken from the marinade. Heat the oil in a heat proof casserole over a medium heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for a few minutes on each side until browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the chopped sausages, if using, cook to lightly brown and remove from pan. Add the shallots and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Return the chicken thighs and sausages to the casserole and add the tomatoes, white wine, herbs, seasoning and bring slowly to a simmer. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for approx 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. When the chicken is cooked, prepare the gnocchi according to the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, heat the frying pan used to brown the chicken and saute the gnocchi for a few minutes, add to the chicken and gently mix through.
- Sprinkle with the remaining fresh herbs and serve.