Chicken with Skillet Gnocchi

We're on a gnocchi kick lately thanks to the Food Network & Cooking Light magazines. Obviously, they are coming out with cozy fall and winter recipes and gnocchi seems to be the center of their attention.

J and I love gnocchi, the doughy pasta "dumplings" filled with potato, but we've never chosen to make it before. Making gnocchi from scratch would be fun, but time consuming, so I'm glad HEB has pre-made gnocchi you can just pop in boiling water for a few minutes and be good to go.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 17.5-ounce package potato gnocchi
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup heavy cream

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon thyme and the paprika.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake until no longer pink in the middle, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, remaining 1/4 teaspoon thyme and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 3/4 cup water and bring to a boil. Stir in the gnocchi, breaking apart any that are sticking together. Cover and simmer until the gnocchi are just tender, about 5 minutes.

* We didn't have celery in the fridge, nor do we like using it too much, so we omitted it from the dish.

4. Uncover the skillet and stir in the peas and heavy cream. Cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute; season with salt and pepper. Slice the chicken and serve with the gnocchi.