This velvety Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi recipe is one of my favorite one-pot meals because it’s easy, you can make it in under thirty minutes, it’s filling, and it’s big-time delicious. Like I’m-not-going-to-stop-eating-this-until-it’s-all-done delicious. Pillowy gnocchi drenched in a rich buttery cream sauce, with pops of juicy chicken and earthy spinach? Ummm, yeah. You’re going to love this one!
What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi are small two-inch dumplings made with mashed potatoes, flour, and eggs. They are served sauteed with butter, tomato, or cream-based sauce. In this dish, we pair gnocchi with diced chicken thighs in a buttery cream sauce. It’s basically an elevated meat and potatoes dish, with spinach thrown in because Beth says we need to cook more veggies.
What You’ll Need
You won’t need loads of time or pots and pans, that’s for sure. Everything in this dreamy, silky dish comes together in one skillet in under thirty minutes! Here’s what you’ll need to make Creamy Chicken And Gnocchi:
- Gnocchi – you can find them frozen or fresh, but I prefer the dried ones as they are more economical, plus I have more room in my pantry than I do in my freezer. You’ll find them in the pasta section of your grocery store.
- Chicken Thighs– You can also use chicken breast, but be careful not to overcook it, as you want juicy chicken, not dry, chicken-flavored cotton balls. In a pinch, sub the thighs with Italian sausage and skip the seasoning.
- Heavy cream and Butter– this is a cream sauce, so it is dairy-heavy. You need the fat found in these ingredients to create the velvety sauce that brings everything together. You can substitute the heavy cream with full-fat coconut cream and the butter with vegan butter
- Parmesan– does double duty, adding savory saltiness to the sauce while also thickening it. Asioago or feta make great substitutions. If you can’t do dairy, use a couple of tablespoons of nutritional yeast, but keep in mind that your sauce will be much looser.
- Vegetable broth– is used to hydrate the dried gnocchi and helps create the base of our cream sauce. Substitute it with chicken broth or in a pinch, with a cup of water with a tablespoon of tomato sauce mixed in.
- Onion and Garlic– these aromatics are fried in the chicken thigh fat and help flavor the gnocchi. You can substitute the onion with one tablespoon of onion powder and the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Spinach- brings earthiness and a beautiful color to the dish. You can substitute spinach with kale, though it will take a little longer to soften.
- Italian seasoning – creates an easy flavor base. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, substitute it with one teaspoon of dried oregano, one teaspoon of dried thyme, and one teaspoon of dried rosemary.
- Smoked paprika – using this spice is optional, but I use it to add a dank, smoky note that helps round out the sharpness of the Italian seasoning. It also lends a golden hue to the sauce.
What To Serve With Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
This dish is heavy, so pair it with a Simple Side Salad or Panzanella. You can also lean into the heaviness and make Garlic Bread to sop up all the creamy sauce. (It is AMAZING with garlic bread. And garlic counts as a vegetable!)
Storing and Reheating
Because you make this dish with a cream-based sauce, I don’t recommend freezing it, as the cream gets grainy when it thaws. Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a microwave until steaming.
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
Servings 4 servingsIngredients
- 1.25 lbs chicken thighs (4 to 5 thighs) ($4.23)
- 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced ($0.32)
- 2 garlic cloves ($0.11)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter, divided ($0.30)
- 1 lb potato gnocchi (dry) ($1.13)
- 2 cups fresh spinach ($0.60)
- 1 cup vegetable broth ($0.08)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream ($0.71)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan ($0.44)
Instructions
- Dice the chicken thighs into 2-inch pieces. Add the chicken to a bowl and top it with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix until combined.
- Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the cooking oil. Once it's shimmering, add the chicken and cook undisturbed until well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir and brown on the other side, about 3 more minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan when it's cooked through and leave the fat in the pan.
- Add the onion and garlic to the skillet. Saute until the onions have softened and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes
- Add the gnocchi and 1 tablespoon salted butter to the skillet and brown for 2 minutes.
- Add the spinach and the broth to the skillet. Cover the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the gnocchi has hydrated.
- Add the heavy cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon of salted butter to the skillet. Stir until the butter has melted and the cream is steaming hot but not boiling.
- Take the skillet off the heat. Add the parmesan to the pan and stir until it melts, creating a velvety sauce.
- Finally, return the cooked diced chicken to the skillet. Mix gently into the gnocchi and cream sauce. If desired, garnish with parsley.
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Equipment
Nutrition
How to Make Creamy Chicken And Gnocchi – Step by Step Photos
Dice 1.25 pounds of chicken thighs (about 4 to 5 thighs) in 2-inch pieces. Add the chicken to a bowl and top it with 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix until combined.
Set a large deep skillet over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and cook undisturbed until well browned, about 3 minutes. Stir and brown on the other side, about 3 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan when it’s cooked through and has reached an internal temperature of 160°F. Leave the rendered fat in the pan.
Add 1 diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic to the skillet. Saute until the onions have softened and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Add 1 pound of dry potato gnocchi and 1 tablespoon of salted butter to the skillet. Brown the gnocchi for 2 minutes.
Add 2 cups of spinach and 1 cup of vegetable broth to the skillet. Cover the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the gnocchi has hydrated.
Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of salted butter to the skillet. Stir until the butter has melted and the cream is steaming hot, but not boiling. You’re about to add cheese to the sauce, and cheese curdles at high temperatures, so make sure it isn’t boiling.
Take the pan off the heat. Add 1/4 cup of parmesan to the pan and stir until it melts, creating a velvety sauce.
Finally, return the cooked diced chicken to the skillet. Mix gently into the gnocchi and cream sauce. If desired, garnish with parsley. Serve this dish piping hot, then sit back and enjoy what took you less than a half hour to make!
Oh my gosh, so good! Subbed oat milk for the heavy cream, otherwise made as is! Even my super picky son gobbled it up
Tastes soooo good and was really easy. Mine was a little watery though. Any advice to make that better? The gnocchi I used was from the refrigerated section.
If your gnocchi was refrigerated you’ll need less broth because the gnocchi is already hydrated. :) But keep in mind that if you use less broth you’ll be getting a little less flavor and salt, so you’ll probably want to add a touch more salt at the end.
This was absolutely delicious, and it was a big hit with my whole family!
I can’t believe how delicious and easy this is. I subbed chicken broth for the veggie and frozen green beans for the fresh spinach because it’s what I had on hand. So good! Will definitely be making this again.
I was excited to try this new recipe, its easy, fast n delicious. I used chicken broth instead, it came out really good, I love recipes with gnocci!
This is delicious and super easy!
I cooked whole bone-in chicken thighs and the crispy chicken skin is more than worth the longer cook time.
Made this for dinner but used chicken breasts – since that is what I had on hand and made only 2 servings – so I would have some left overs as there is only me. I also added 3 sliced mushrooms just before adding the onions. Will definitely keep this in my rotation. Thanks so much for posting.
I made this for dinner tonight, with the addition of some sliced mushrooms right before the onions step.
The way the starch from the gnocchi thickens the sauce is *chef’s kiss*. I am never patient enough to get a thick sauce, so this was great for me.
Welp I got this in my email this morning and could not stop staring at the photo. My husband reluctantly agreed (he doesn’t really like spinach) but giving it a rough chop was enough for it to be less noticable in the dish– and it was a big win from both of us! I didn’t catch the comments in time to realize you meant 2 TBSP divided… I did 2 with the gnocchi and 1 more with the heavy cream and it came out super creamy and velvety. I’ll probably cut back next time just for calories sake but either way, this was simple and delicious!
OMG butter makes everything better. I’m so glad you tried it! And apologies for the oversight. PS I’m trying to come up with a new gnocchi recipe for fall, so if you have any suggestions, I’m all ears!
I made this tonight and it was seriously so delicious!! I had to stop myself from eating it straight out of the hot pan. It was a true comfort dish. I might have gained two pounds afterwards, but it would have been worth it.
I was eating it straight out the pan, too! 😅
This turned out really delicious! Next time I will double it.
For clarity, I think the ingredient list is incorrect. I believe it requires 4 Tbsp of butter as 2 Tbsp of butter is added twice, as per directions.
In the step-by-step photos, she shows that you use 2 tablespoons with the gnocchi and another 2 tablespoons with the cream.
Apologies! I am forever messing up numbers. It’s 2 tb butter, divided. One for the gnocchi step, and one for the cream step.
Well I can attest to the use of 4 tbsp divided turning out just fine! 😂
I just made this! It took me about 40 minutes from start to finish. I’m eating it right now and it’s very good! I did end up adding around 3x the amount of spinach as what the recipe says, just because it wilts down to almost nothing. I’ll definitely make this again!
Thank you BL! Great call on adding more spinach. xoxo
This looks soooooo good! If I want to use frozen gnocchi (I’m thinking of Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi, which I love!), would I just leave out the veg. broth since they don’t need to be hydrated?
It’s tough to say since I’ve never used Trader Joe’s cauli gnocchi, but I will say that if you skip the veg broth you will also be missing a lot of flavor and salt (to help the flavors pop). So maybe if you have some bouillon paste that you can add without the water that might help.
You have butter listed twice in the instructions but only once in the ingredients. I assume its 4 T total?
I’m so dim I didn’t even realize you could buy frozen gnocchi–always have made mine from scratch, having turned up my nose at dried. I usually make them from sweet potatoes, often baking one of two more from a meal just for this. I bake 2 big extras as the recipe uses 1 egg. I freeze my extras, so I guess I did know about frozen gnocchi.
Using fresh pasta, it will go in toward the end of cooking.