No this is not an off-shoot of the popular Diamonds and Pearls song by the late Prince, or whatever you are used to calling him, but it's just as good! Look I am from the islands, and certain dishes just gets my taste buds. This dish happens to be one of the them. This brings us to our "storied meal of the day," Chicken and Pearls.
Slow down now...... There's a good reason for the name Chicken and Pearls and I will explain them to you right here, and you get a lovely meal recipe to go along with it!
There are two ingredients in this splendid dish in which I chose the name "Chicken and Pearls" to call this dish. First of all this dish calls for 1 cup of fresh garlic cloves. Now what looks more closer to pearls when we are talking about food than fresh, white garlic cloves. That is the first part of this puzzle. Yes, part of the reason for the name is because of the garlic cloves. Now we are going to take those garlic cloves and saute them with the seasoned, boneless chicken breast.
Boy doesn't that chicken and garlic look good......
It sure does to me !
There is one other reason why I call this meal Chicken and Pearls. That reason is the Gnocchi pasta that is used.
Now these are the pearls I use. This is an Italian pasta referred to as Gnocchi pasta. This is a potato based pasta. I love it. It reminds of chicken and dumpling. Chicken and dumplings is a popular island dish so it's no wonder I love this pasta. All Gnocchi pasta is not created equal. I like the brand that is high in potato. The kind I get in this image is at least 80% potato.
Okay now it's time for you to get all of your ingredients together.
1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped fresh
1 lemon
3 slices bacon
2 tablespoon flour
1 salt-free Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Large zip-top bag
2 pounds boneless chicken thighs
1 cup of garlic cloves, fresh
1 8oz pack of trinity mix- diced celery, onion, bell pepper mix
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1 16oz package of Gnocchi pasta
The recipe I used is inspired by Publix, a local grocery store, and it's " 40-clove Gnocchi Chicken recipe."
Hands down, this is my favorite grocery store in North East Florida. The store is always well organized and clean and the staff is always friendly and helpful. I must say, I do love grocery shopping.....
Take a look at the screenshot of the recipe below. Be creative though and add your own twist to it if you'd like. Me personally, I prefer less of the zest and lemon peel, so I omit the lemon or use less than what the recipe calls for. Others may beg to differ, which is perfectly fine.
Now go ahead and mix all of your ingredients and stuff together. Put it in the Crock Pot and let it do it's thing. I set my crock pot on high aiming for the quicker cook-time. Remember, you can set your crock pot on low but you may want to then double the cook time.
Look add more bacon if you'd like; I do!!
Please feel free to make this dish your own and add a touch or two to it. Let me know what you think and any thoughts you may have. Feel free to tell us your "storied meal of the day."
The End!!