Flavor, texture, and comfort all combine to make this meal a definite keeper. Tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach are all gently cooked in a luscious, golden sauce made of cream, chicken broth, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. What could be better on a cold winter evening?
The Chicken and Gnocchi One-Pan Dinner recipe I am sharing today has become a favorite in my household. It is one of those classic meals that tastes like it was more difficult to make than it actually was. And it all comes together in one skillet, which is an added bonus.
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I have been making this recipe for many years. In fact, I made it so often awhile back that I had to take a break from it for a time, and just tonight I made it again. No wonder I used to make it so often! It is so tasty and so easy! It’s easy, but it tastes like something special. I think it’s the baking of the chicken in the foil packet. The foil keeps in all that moisture, and the lemon juice, olive oil, and tarragon blend together so nicely. This recipe is very loosely adapted from a cookbook called 365 Ways to Cook Chicken by Cheryl Sedaker. Over the years I have tweaked it here and there to fit our tastes.
One thing I love about this recipe is that there is minimal prep work, and then it bakes in the oven for twenty minutes. During that twenty minutes this evening, I also put some asparagus, mixed with garlic and Parmesan cheese, in the oven to roast along with the chicken, and then threw together some mashed potatoes. It all came together pretty quickly, yet it tasted like a real meal that took lots of time to prepare. Super-satisfying, yet easy on the one doing the cooking.
I love a good leek and potato soup, but this time I wanted to add chicken to make the meal extra filling for my growing boy and my hungry husband. The mild flavor of chicken and chicken broth go great with the potatoes and leeks. At the end of the cooking time, I added milk instead of the traditional cream, to make it lighter, yet still creamy and silky. Leek and potato soup is usually pureed in a blender, but with the chicken, that is not such a good idea. However, I found that since the vegetables cooked all day in the crockpot, they were very tender and soft anyway. Topped with some fresh chives and salt and pepper, this meal is a keeper.
I have had my crockpot for many years, and I find it to be such a lifesaver during the times in our life when I am unable to be home making dinner at dinner time. This week has been that kind of a week, and this soup really hit the spot for my guys–with leftovers, we had it two nights in a row. If you need a quick crockpot soup to throw together in the morning so you can get out of a pinch in the evening, this is a delicious one!
My kids both had their band concert a couple of nights ago. There is something about listening to live music that is so invigorating and satisfying. It brings up all kinds of emotions and memories, and it brings people together. At the end of the concert, the combined high school and junior high bands played “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. Someone turned on the disco ball in the auditorium, and we in the audience sat there in the dark, with little twinkling lights swirling around us, listening to our kids play a song that was part of our own teenage years. For a few minutes we were suspended in time. When the concert ended and the lights came back on, I was not the only one with moist eyes. The band sounded so good! The kids played so well. Children grow so fast. Time flies. We are all in this together.
