Chicken Lemon Gnocchi with Arugula & Parmesan

Image from wish.ca

Today I'd like to introduce you to two things that I'm betting quite a few of you have never tried:
Gnocchi
Arugula

Gnocchi is an Italian potato pasta. Very yummy.
Arugula is a leafy green, similar in look to Romaine Lettuce, that has a really nice nutty taste to it. It's also very healthy.
Both items are shouldn't be too hard to find at your neighbourhood grocer.

With very little further ado I present you with the light, yet filling, recipe for


Chicken Lemon Gnocchi with Arugula & Parmesan


Serves 4


Ingredients
1/4 cup EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (around 4 cloves)
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cheaper and tastier than breasts)
1 package of gnocchi (500 gr is the ideal size, and what is available in most stores)
1 handfull baby arugula (about a cup, packed tight) but feel free to add more!
2 lemons, zested* and juiced (zest is optional, but nice)
1/4 cup shaved parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano is the best, but your Kraft Parm will work fine)

*On zest: if you've never heard this term, the zest is the colourful part of a fruit skin, the yellow from lemons, the orange from oranges, the green from limes. Zest has most of the yummy tartness and concentrated flavour of the fruit. When zesting you can use a zester or a cheese grater (fine) or even a peeler. The trick is to just grate/peel/zest off the coloured bits, avoiding the white stuff, the pith, underneath, as that bit is bitter. So, zest the lemon first, then juice it. Oh, and always wash the fruit first to take off any waxy coating used to ship and preserve it.

Instructions
1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil (just use a couple tablespoons of salt)
2. Cut chicken into rough chunks, about the size of a walnut
3. Pour oil into saute pan and heat to medium-high, chuck in the chicken
4. After a couple moments throw the garlic into the saute pan with the chicken, once the chicken and garlic start to brown, pull the pan off of the heat (make sure the chicken is cooked!)
5. Cook gnocchi in boiling water. Usually you can tell if they are done when they float to the top. Once cooked, drain the water.
6. Add gnocchi to saute pan and gently stir them into the flavoured oil and chicken.
7. Mix in the arugula, lemon zest, juice and some nice fresh black pepper and top with parmesan before serving.