If you love Chicken Fricassee, Chicken and Biscuits and Chicken and Dumplings here’s a flavorful, Italian take on the classic. Here, basil pesto – a kid favorite, is stirred into the light gravy. For the dumplings, fresh potato gnocchi tossed in lemon butter. WOW!
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Prep: | 20 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds chicken tenderloins, diced into bite-sized pieces
- 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
- 1 lemon , zested
- 2 (10 to 12-ounce) packages, fresh gnocchi
Instructions
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 997 |
| Total Fat | 51 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 94 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 42 g |
| Cholesterol | 166 mg |
| Sodium | 1207 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 997 |
| Total Fat | 51 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 94 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 5 g |
| Protein | 42 g |
| Cholesterol | 166 mg |
| Sodium | 1207 mg |
Reviews
I have made this 3 times and really like it. I think you have to be careful to use the amount of the broth that is called for vs all that it make-just think of the extra as a bonus and save it for something else. If you really want to se it all you will need to add more flour to thicken it up a bit. I add a diced onion an more carrots and celery as I don’t care for peas or pearl onions that much. Use an ice cream scoop for the dumplings to get them the same size and easier than using two spoons anyway. I was surprised that the broth is do good so quick – I think the garlic and salt really help.
OMG! What a wonderful and surprisingly easy dish. It’s great for cold days..very hearty. If you are in a pinch you can substitute the home made pesto for a brand such as Classico’s. I’ve made it both ways and it’s delicious. Adults and kiddos will love the flavors. Thanks for the yummy recipe Rachael.
I have made pesto and bought pesto and when I’m in more of a hurry the store bought works and tastes just fine! I have made this dish time and time again! Perfect for chilly winter nights. Just shared it with a co-worker and she had to have the recipe…RR always keeps it simple and yet so delicious.
We liked the gnocci directly in the broth. The frying step seemed unnessecary. I like the idea of pesto in the broth though. Next time I would probably use that base and add tortellini instead.
I don’t usually review things, but I HAD to write about this one. OH my GOODNESS was this good!! I subbed out about 3 tbsp of fresh ready-made pesto to make things a little quicker…and a little cheaper…pine nuts and basil are always so expensive!! I didn’t love the lemon zest in the gnocchi, so next time I probably won’t do that. I also seasoned the chicken with a little garlic powder along with the s&p (I’m a garlic freak!. I can’t wait for how quick this will be next time now that I know what I’m doing. I was apprehensive about adding the pesto to the regular chicken and dumpling gravy, but my husband said “Have you ever made anything of Rachael Ray’s that didn’t turn out great?” Nope, I haven’t!! Delicious! Thanks, Rachael!
Absolutely delicious! I never buy pinenuts – I used almonds. I also thought I had parmesan, but it was romano.
This recipe rocks!
I didn’t have chicken stock but I had vegtable stock so I went a little crazy and used that instead, it was still good! Will be making it soon again with chicken stock!
I didn’t have chicken stock but I had vegtable stock so I went a little crazy and used that instead, it was still good! Will be making it soon again with chicken stock!
This was great, I made it for Sunday Family dinner, my son took the left overs@! It is a keeper.
I substituted onion for the celery (my husband is a celery-o-phobe, boneless skinless chicken thighs for the chicken tenders, and store bought pesto for the fresh (I used about half of an 8 oz container. The sauce was delicious. The pesto adds a ton of flavor. When I make this again, I may substitute homestyle egg noodles (or fettuccine for the gnocchi.
I love this! Don’t miss toasting the gnocchi with butter and lemon–it adds a fantastic layer of flavor.