This was an impromptu meal - as mine usually are. It is also simple insofar as it does not have complex flavors or over spiced.
Someone gave me a bag of sweet potatoes which I microwaved the other night. We ate a few, but had plenty left over. And today boneless chicken was on sale along with broccoli. I only wish I had thought of buying some mushrooms - that would have made the dish even better.
First I prepared the broccoli and placed it into a pot with about an inch of cold water, ready to be steamed.
Then I sliced the chicken breasts into medallions - small thin slices - and sautéed them in some olive oil, added salt and fresh ground pepper and some thyme. (I just thought thyme would go good with the chicken and the sweet potato gnocchi. I think rosemary would also be a good choice.)
I removed the chicken, added a couple of tablespoons of flour into the skillet, whisked the flour to make a roux and added some white wine (I think it was Chardonnay) and let it thicken.
(I didn't have chicken broth and I suppose you can substitute chicken broth for the wine, but I think the wine gives it a more sophisticated fruity flavor.)
Now if I'd had some mushrooms, I would have sautéed them and removed them with the chicken before making the sauce.
Once the sauce was thickened to the right consistency by adding more wine as needed and thickening a little more, I returned the chicken to the skillet with all of its juices (the cooked chicken releases some good juices as it sits) and let it simmer a little over low heat.
Meanwhile I got a big pot of salted water on to boil and made the gnocchi. I used about a cup and a half of gently mashed sweet potato and about an equal amount of flour to make a dough which I mixed by hand just until the flour was incorporated. Don't over work the dough.
Roll pieces of the dough into ropes, cut one-inch or slightly shorter pieces and roll each gnocco with one or two fingers while making an indentation with the finger and place them on a plate.
I slid the gnocchi into the boiling water, and as soon as they start floating to the top of the pot, I spoon them out with a slotted spoon and place them into the skillet with the chicken. Continue until all the gnocchi are cooked and removed from the pot.
Serve along with steamed broccoli. No grated cheese for this dish. The gnocchi and the chicken-white wine gravy really go nicely together.
