Chicken and Gnudi, as served at Feast Food Co., located in Redmond, Oregon - as seen on Food Network's Diners Drive-Ins and Dives, Season 38
Recipe courtesy of Feast Food Company

Roasted Chicken and Ricotta Gnudi

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  • Level: Advanced
  • Total: 11 hr 25 min (includes ricotta drying time)
  • Active: 1 hr 30 min
  • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Ricotta Mixture:

Chicken:

Chicken Sausage:

Gnudi:

Sauce:

Directions

Special equipment:
a deep-fry thermometer; cheesecloth; a meat grinder
  1. For the ricotta mixture: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the milk, whipping cream and salt. Bring to 185 degrees F over medium-low heat, about 15 minutes.
  2. Once the mixture is up to temperature, whisk in the lemon juice and turn the heat up to high.
  3. You will notice the curds separating from the whey almost immediately. Let the mixture come to a boil, then turn off the heat. All the ricotta will float to the top and make a “raft.” Let sit at room temperature until the cheese is cool to the touch on top.
  4. Strain through cheesecloth into a mixing bowl and reserve the whey left behind to make the sauce.
  5. Wring the cheese tight to expel as much whey as you can, then cool the ricotta in the fridge, on a tray uncovered, overnight or for up to 5 days; the longer it sits the more it will dry out.
  6. For the chicken: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  7. Break the chickens down into 4 pieces each (2 breasts and 2 leg and thigh pieces). Reserve the breasts for the chicken sausage.
  8. Sprinkle the chicken leg and thigh pieces with salt (just a touch more than you think is enough), and as much pepper as you see fit.
  9. Roast the chicken until it reaches an internal temp of 200 degrees F, rotating halfway through, about 45 minutes.
  10. Roast the spaghetti squash face down in the oven until you can poke the outer edge and it feels soft, about 45 minutes. Flip over to release steam and let cool until manageable to handle, then scoop out the squash and reserve for plating.
  11. For the chicken sausage: Meanwhile, slice the chicken breasts into strips and run through a meat grinder. (If you don’t have a grinder, you can use store-bought ground chicken and use the breasts for another application at home.)
  12. Mix in the paprika, salt and pepper by hand until thoroughly combined and reserve for preparation and plating.
  13. For the gnudi: Mix the ricotta and egg yolks together in a bowl by hand; if you have gloves, use them, because its going to get sticky; if not, just use some extra flour to rub off all of extra ricotta once your dough is formed.
  14. Add half the flour and mix the dough together. Depending on how wet the ricotta still is you may need to keep adding all of the flour to get a nice workable dough. You only want to add flour until the dough comes together, kneading as little as possible to keep the gnudi tender.
  15. Once you have a workable dough, divide in half and roll each section into a long log about the diameter of a quarter.
  16. Using a dough scraper or knife, cut into chunks roughly 1-inch long. Place on a plate or tray and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up.
  17. While the gnudi are chilling, get a pot of salted water boiling.
  18. For the sauce: Char the poblano peppers over your stove (if you have a gas range) or on your grill until there is some nice char. Let cool, then chop them.
  19. Heat up a skillet on high heat. Add the chicken sausage to the skillet and cook until caramelized, then add the reserved whey from the ricotta and turn the heat to low.
  20. Add the gnudi to the boiling water and cook until they float. To the skillet, add the poblanos, arugula, kale, crème fraiche, olive oil, herbs and lemon juice to warm through. Strain the gnudi and add to the skillet.