Spicy Chicken Gnocchi

About This Recipe

Creamy spicy vodka gnocchi with sweet and spicy Calabrian chili ground chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Gnocchi
• 1 cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese
• 1 cup Carbone Spicy Vodka Sauce (or your choice of pasta sauce)
• ½ cup (56g) Grated Parmesan
• 1-2 handfuls Fresh Basil (for serving)
• 1 pound Ground Chicken
• 2 Tablespoons Calabrian Chili Peppers (or swap 1:1 with tomato paste for spice sensitive )
• 2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Honey
• 4 Frozen Crushed Garlic Cubes (or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed)
• 2 Tablespoons Water

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil for the gnocchi.
2. Blend the pasta sauce, cottage cheese, and parmesan together until smooth. Set aside.
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of oil. Once hot, add the ground chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on one side before breaking apart with a spatula and fully cooking.
4. While the chicken cooks, mix the Calabrian peppers, vinegar, honey, garlic, and 2 tablespoons of water together. Add the sauce to the cooked ground chicken and cook until the sauce thickens and begins to caramelize, another 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they float. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the rest.
6. Add the cooked gnocchi back to the pot with the blended sauce and about 3/4 of the chicken over low heat. Fold everything together, adding a few tablespoons of the pasta water as needed to make a smooth and creamy sauce.
7. Salt to taste before plating the gnocchi. Garnish with the remaining chicken crumbles and fresh basil. (I also like to add a dollop of low fat ricotta, freshly grated parm, black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.)