Marry Me Chicken Gnocchi
Sun-dried tomatoes, cream powder, and shelf-stable gnocchi in one pot.
- calories
- 790
- weight
- 6.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 122
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Car camping
- Winter / snow
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable gnocchi | 5 oz | the vacuum-sealed kind, not refrigerated |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried or canned chicken | 3 oz | a foil pouch works |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 3 tbsp | dry-packed, sliced thin; oil-packed leaks |
| Heavy cream powder | 3 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 tsp | |
| Tomato powder or paste | 1 tbsp | paste in a squeeze tube if you can get it |
| Dried onion flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Dried basil and Italian seasoning | 1 tsp total | |
| Crushed red pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Dried spinach flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Drop in the onion flakes, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, chicken, bouillon, tomato powder, and all the dry seasoning.
- Let it sit off the heat for five minutes so the tomatoes and onion soften. They will not soften later.
- Return to a boil and add the gnocchi. Two to three minutes, stirring, until they float and go soft in the middle.
- Kill the heat. Stir in the cream powder a spoonful at a time, off the flame, or it clumps.
- Pour the olive oil over and stir. Let it stand two minutes to thicken.
Slow-cooker versions of this run on heavy cream, fresh aromatics, and four hours. None of that travels. Cream powder rehydrates into something close enough, dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes carry the same concentrated flavor without a jar of oil, and shelf-stable gnocchi cooks in three minutes because it is already cooked once.
The soak step matters more than it looks. Sun-dried tomatoes and onion flakes are the slowest things in the pot, and if you add gnocchi at the same time you get soft dumplings floating around leathery tomato. Give the hard stuff a head start, then boil once more. Cream powder always goes in off the heat; boiled, it separates.
Packing
Everything dry except the gnocchi and oil goes in one bag. Gnocchi rides separately so it does not grind itself to flour against the seasoning.
Variations
- A handful of grated parmesan in the dry bag deepens it and adds fat.
- Swap gnocchi for instant potato flakes if you want it faster and lighter. Add them off the heat.
- No chicken makes it vegetarian, but not vegan, and you lose most of the protein.
https://mealswithmaria.site/marry-me-chicken-gnocchi-soup