Late-week comfort food. Golden crumbed chicken, gnocchi that never touches a saucepan of boiling water, and a creamy pesto sauce that ties it together.
Serves 4 · Prep 15 min · Cook 20 min
For the chicken
- 4 chicken breasts, butterflied or bashed to even thickness
- ½ cup plain flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- Salt and pepper
- Neutral oil for pan-frying
For the sauce
- 500 g potato gnocchi (fresh, from the fridge section)
- 300 ml thickened cream
- ½ cup basil pesto (jar is fine — a good jar)
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 1 cup baby spinach
- Squeeze of lemon
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Set up three shallow bowls: flour with salt and pepper, beaten egg, and breadcrumbs mixed with parmesan and herbs. Coat each chicken breast in flour → egg → crumb, pressing the crumb on firmly.
- Heat 1 cm of neutral oil in a large pan over medium-high. Fry the chicken 3–4 minutes each side until deeply golden and cooked through. Rest on paper towel.
- In a separate wide pan, tip in the raw gnocchi with the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally — the gnocchi will cook in the cream in 4–5 minutes and thicken the sauce as it goes.
- Stir in the pesto and parmesan. Add the spinach and let it wilt through. Finish with lemon, salt and pepper.
- Slice the chicken thickly. Spoon gnocchi into shallow bowls, lay the chicken on top, and grate more parmesan over.
Bring it to the table on a big serving board
A single big timber tray makes this look like a restaurant pass. The Bamboo Serving Tray in the 44 x 30 cm holds all four bowls plus a jug of the extra sauce.