Italian Chicken & Dumplings

Italian Chicken and Dumplings

• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, diced into bite-sized pieces (I used chicken breasts and cut them up)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 12 large white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup shredded carrots, store bought
• 4 ribs celery from the heart, very thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 fresh bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups chicken stock, divided

• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• A generous handful parsley leaves
• A handful pine nuts, lightly toasted
• A couple handfuls grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

(Instead of making this homeade pesto sauce, I had store-bought in the fridge so I used that.)

• 1 lemon , zested
• 2 (10 to 12-ounce) packages, fresh gnocchi

Place a large pot of water on to boil for gnocchi.
Heat a pot with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and lightly brown. Remove to a plate and add another tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter and heat. Add mushrooms, carrots, celery, and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper. Soften 5 minutes, sprinkle in flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in 2 1/2 cups stock, slide the chicken back into the pot and simmer to allow sauce to thicken.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup stock in food processor with basil, parsley, garlic, pine nuts and cheese, salt and pepper. Turn processor on and pour in the remaining few tablespoons oil.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a skillet over medium heat with the zest of 1 lemon.
Salt cooking water and drop gnocchi in the water, cook until the gnocchi floats, drain and add to the lemon butter and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the gnocchi 2 to 3 minutes in lemon butter until light golden at edges.
Turn heat off chicken and stir in pesto sauce. Serve the chicken in shallow bowls and top with lemon butter dumplings.

*This was a very hearty and delicious meal. I can't complain when I get to use gnocchi as dumplings! We watched Rachael Ray make it and thought to try it ourselves! It wasn't as time-consuming as I thought it would be.

Rachael Ray, Food Network, 2008.