Gnocchi (ñoquis) with Chicken Flavor Sauce

In Argentina, there is a tradition of eating gnocchi the 29th of every month. The tradition was brought to the country by Italian Immigrants. If you are curious about this tradition, I will share this link so that you can learn at your leisure: http://argentinastravel.com/2314/the-secret-to-the-perfect-noquis/ and in Spanish: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%91oqui

This was our Christmas Eve meal this year! My biggest effort was actually in making the chicken flavor pasta sauce since I didn't make the gnocchi from scratch (shame on me). I learned from Mom and Grandma that the longer you cook the pasta sauce, the better it would always taste. In Grandma's old days, the pasta sauce was made with fresh tomatoes, basil, pepper, etc. Nowadays, I purchase the Prego pasta sauce and let it cook on its own with additional condiments. One trick I learned is to add a tablespoon of sugar to reduce the acid taste of the tomato sauce. I hope you like this!

Preparation Time: 2-1/2 Hours

Ingredients:

Pasta:
1 Pack of Archer Farms Gnocchi (we used potato, cheese and spinach gnocchi)
1 Cup Mozzarella Cheese
1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese

Sauce:
2 Small Chicken Breasts cut in 1/2'' cubes
2 Cans Pasta Sauce
2 Tablespoons Basil
2 Tablespoons Oregano
1 Tablespoon Sugar
1 Bay Leaf
Salt and Pepper to Taste


Directions:

1. Cook chicken cubes in a frying pan, drain any excess of fat and set aside.
2. In slow cooker, add pasta sauce, condiments, bay leaf and cooked chicken. Set slow cooker to high and cook for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
3. Once chicken flavor sauce is cooked, prepare Archer Farms Gnocchi according to package instructions.
4. Serve Gnocchi with chicken flavor sauce and meat.
5. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.