A hearty, satisfying dish to warm you up in the chilly autumn months. Balance the pasta with roasted vegetables and lean protein for a nutritious and guilt-free meal.

Time: 4/5
The chicken takes the longest, so start with that. All the tasks telescope into each other nicely.

Effort: 3/5
You’d be glad that you put in the work when you eat well all week.

Treasure Hunting

Long time viewers will know that I do not live in the West, but the wide reach of Western (and especially American) media has given me a lot of exposure to that sort of food culture. So, something like barbecued ribs, fajitas with steak or chicken, or even something as simple as tomato soup and grilled cheese might be everyday food for many of my audience. But for me, these are all culinary adventures into strange-yet-familiar territory.

I was in Australia a while back (where I had some excellent oysters) and bought some gnocchi when I was there. I keep hearing about gnocchi with brown butter and sage, and wanted to see what it’s like. The weather was also finally cooling, so I wanted to create some autumn vibes by serving it with roasted butternut squash, and get my protein with some sous vide chicken breast to make space for the calories that I’m introducing with the butter.

Good plan, but with a catch – I was unable for the life of me to find sage. Not the market, not the grocery store, not even the special Western grocer. Funny how that works – you go to the Asian grocer for jujube and dried scallops, I go to the Western grocer for herbs.

So I substituted with some rosemary that I’ve been growing on my windowsill right besides my scallions, and it worked out well. At the end of the day, it’s still a well balanced meal with plenty of good nutrition and rich herby flavours, while still fitting easily into my calorie budget. But I guess I will have to wait until another time to find out what sage tastes like.

Posts since the last recipe that was actually served with rice: 1

Dramatis Personae

Served 5.

• 500g gnocchi
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 2kg butternut squash
• 1kg chicken breast
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste

Executive summary

1. Salt and pepper then sous vide the chicken breasts straight from frozen at 62C for 90 minutes.
2. Wash and cut butternut squash into 2 inch chunks. Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 200C/400F for about 30 minutes.
3. Cook gnocchi in boiling water, according to package instructions.
4. Meanwhile, melt butter in a nonstick pan, and sear both sides of the chicken breasts.
5. When gnocchi is done, drain well and transfer into the buttered pan along with the rosemary. Fry until lightly browned on both sides.
6. Assemble and serve, topping with grated parmesan as garnish.

Play by Play

I did all my washing and knife work at a leisurely pace while the chicken is in the sous vide. The squash gets my attention next because it takes the second-longest time to cook – salted, peppered, olive oiled, then left to roast in the oven while I move on.

I started bringing a saucepan of water to a boil while drying off and searing my (huge) chicken breasts. Can you believe these three massive breasts weigh 1kg total?

I cooked the gnocchi until they float, then got them into the already dirty chicken pan with the butter and rosemary.

The squash has been done for a while now, but I just let it sit in the oven where the residual heat can keep it warm. Time to assemble and serve.

Bon appetit!

Print Recipe

Herby Brown Butter Gnocchi with Butternut Squash and Chicken

A hearty, satisfying dish to warm you up in the chilly autumn months. Balance the pasta with roasted vegetables and lean protein for a nutritious and guilt-free meal.

Prep Time2 hours hrs

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time3 hours hrs

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Western

Keyword: Calorie conscious, Chicken, Oven, Pasta

Servings: 5

Ingredients

• 500 g gnocchi
• 3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 2 kg butternut squash
• 1 kg chicken breast
• Olive oil to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Salt and pepper then sous vide the chicken breasts straight from frozen at 62C for 90 minutes.
• Wash and cut butternut squash into 2 inch chunks. Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 200C/400F for about 30 minutes.
• Cook gnocchi in boiling water, according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a nonstick pan, and sear both sides of the chicken breasts.
• When gnocchi is done, drain well and transfer into the buttered pan along with the rosemary. Fry until lightly browned on both sides.
• Assemble and serve, topping with grated parmesan as garnish.

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