Chicken Bacon Gnocchi in a White Wine Sauce

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My husband and I are wine enthusiasts. We like to try new types of wine and when we make a nice dinner or dessert we like to have a glass of wine that pairs well with the meal that we are having. We have gone to a few wine festivals in Pennsylvania and Maryland. We have taken trips to the Finger Lakes and the Niagara region of Canada to visit wineries and try the local wines. Our dream trip would be to go to the Sonoma Valley in California to try all the different wines there. We have liked the wines from the Sonoma Valley that we have tried and would like to visit the wineries in person to try all of the delicious wines that the region has to offer.

One of the wines we have tried from the Sonoma Valley and have really liked are the Sonoma-Cutrer wines. Sonoma-Cutrer makes some great wines, including a selection of Pinot Nior and Chardonnay. When tasting wine the best thing to do is to smell the wine first before tasting so that you can get some of the aroma, which helps with the tasting and the whole experience of the wine. Then take a little sip and swish it around in your mouth. That way your tastebuds can taste all the different flavors of the wine. Make sure you clear your palate between tasting different wines, by eating a cracker.

In my house we usually prefer white wine over red wine, but we do enjoy the occasional red wine. The Russian River Valley Pinot Nior from Sonoma-Cutrer had a great balance of tastes of fruits such as blackberry, raspberry, cherries, and strawberries. The Pinot Nior would be great paired with a dark meat, such as beef, and would even go great with dessert or chocolate.

Like I said before, my husband and I usually drink white wine. We like all types of white wines, but our favorite type is Chardonnay. We tried the Russian River Ranches Sonoma-Cutrer wine and the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay. We really liked both wines and I thought they would pair well with a dinner that includes chicken or seafood. While we liked both, we disagreed on our favorites. My husband preferred the taste of the Russian River Ranches Chardonnay which had more hints of a citrus flavor. I really liked the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

Flavor Notes of Sonoma Coast Chardonnay:

Fruit aromas of Golden Delicious apple, Bosc pear and white peach are accented with toasted nuts, oak spice, a hint of vanilla and a touch of butter. This wine has the signature Sonoma-Cutrer balance between elegance and richness for a medium-bodied, mouth-filling wine. The creamy richness is balanced with a bright acidity and highlighted with flavors of apple, pear and lemon zest.

The Sonoma-Cutrer wines would be great paired with food or would be great served at a holiday party. They would also make a great gift for the holidays as well. I thought that the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay would pair great with a dinner that included chicken. I decided to make something where I could also cook with the wine. I really like cooking with wine as the wine helps to enhance the flavor of the food. If you cook with wine, make sure to cook with a wine that you already like.

When we went on one of our wine trips we ate at a restaurant that served gnocchi. If you never had gnocchi before, it is delicious. It is like a cross of pasta and potatoes. They are little balls of potatoes covered in dough. I remember sitting at that restaurant and eating the delicious gnocchi paired with a white wine. I thought the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay would pair great with gnocchi and chicken. I used the wine in the sauce and we also had a glass to go with our dinner as well.

This Chicken Bacon Gnocchi in a White Wine Sauce tasted fantastic. It was one of my favorite meals that I have ever made. The best thing is that this seems like a gourmet meal, but it is relatively easy to make. I used prepackaged gnocchi to make it easier and then cooked the chicken and bacon and combined it all in the white wine sauce.

The Sonoma Coast Chardonnay gave great flavor to the sauce. The touch of butter in the wine paired great with the butter in the sauce and the crispness of the wine gave great flavor to the whole dish and helped to bring it together. The chicken, bacon, and gnocchi tasted great in the white wine sauce. We all loved this meal and cannot wait to make it again. I plan on making this the next time we have guests as it is a gourmet meal without all the time involved.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
• 5 slices bacon, cooked and cut into smaller pieces
• 1 package (16 ounces) gnocchi
• 1/2 cup tomatoes, cubed
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup white wine (I used Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay)
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Saute the chicken in a pan (or used pre-cooked chicken) and cut into cubes. Cook the bacon and cut into smaller bite-size pieces.
2. Prepare the gnocchi according to the package directions.
3. Meanwhile melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is softened.
4. Add in the wine, cheese, tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper and simmer for about 5 minutes or until hot, stirring occasionally.
5. Then add in the chicken, bacon, and gnocchi and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes or until all heated through. Serves 4

To learn more about the Sonoma-Cutrer family of wines, visit them @SonomaCutrer on Twitter, Sonoma-Cutrer on Facebook, and Sonoma-Cutrer on Instagram.

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