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!
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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
- Deep Stainless Steel Skillet
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!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!
This recipe is absolutely amazing!! 😍😋 I made it on a whim to get my boyfriend to stop eating just chicken Alfredo and breakfast burritos. This is now in our permanent rotation. I’m out of heavy cream tonight, but I’m going to try some sour cream instead.
My family really enjoyed this recipe. The instructions were easy to follow and the flavors blend together well. Only change I made was adding some crushed red pepper simply because we like our pasta dishes slightly spicy. Next time I think I might try adding sun dried tomatoes or mushrooms in an effort to get my family to eat more veggies.
This was totally delicious and a good recipe with good techniques! Definitely making this again!
My family’s favorite recipe. 10/10 filling, simple, and delicious (even as leftovers)
This was absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to make it again! I wanted to add more veggies besides spinach so I added small, fresh cauliflower florets to the onion and garlic mixture step and it added some great texture – I think it would also be delicious with broccoli, chopped asparagus, etc. I also subbed a dollop of sour cream for the heavy cream because that’s all I had on hand and it turned out so great. Thank you for this versatile, incredible recipe!
I will add this one to my favorite Gnocchi recipe file. We make gnocchi with “burst” cherry tomatoes and brown the gnocchi in butter, olive oil and garlic. Next time we will make this recipe, instead!
Tasted great, but next time I’ll use less liquid. I also used Chicken Booth.
Made this for my mother and it ended with her literally licking the bowl clean.
Used chicken stock since I had an open carton in the fridge.
Great! I made it once following the recipe perfectly and it turned out very good, then made it a second time with changes and it was excellent. The second time I used chicken broth instead of veggie broth (mainly because it’s what I had but it did make a positive difference), I used a meat and veggie seasoning mix rather than Italian seasoning on the chicken, used more spinach, and added chili flakes for flavor at the cream adding step. It was SO GOOD!!! If you like a little more flavor I recommend these adjustments.
I loved this recipe…hubby was on the fence! It’ll go into rotation as a “sometimes” meal. Easy to prepare, flavorful and one pan – what’s not to like? Served with crusty garlic bread. Again, what’s not to like? 😊
I loved this recipe! I made it original way and that was 5 stars.
I also like to make it with ground turkey and frozen spinach but I don’t change a thing other wise! Yummy!
The recipe turned out ok, but it’s not really my sort of thing. The spinach cooks down into the sauce and together with the chicken and gnocchi, there’s not much texture to the dish. If I made it again I would use crunchier vegetables or even just swap the spinach for kale.
This is amazing! I didn’t have spinach but found a few sprigs in a mix I had then used frozen kale I use for smoothies. The kids said is was delicious although they are teenagers and said something like “fire”. There wasn’t any left!
Quick, easy and delicious. Thank you! I’ll definitely be making this again.
So easy and delicious! This is my first time cooking with gnocchi and it tastes lovely.
I just put this together with plans to reheat at a gathering tomorrow.
Can you suggest the best way to reheat this without scorching the cream sauce.
The microwave is your best bet! I would just heat in 30 second increments, stirring after each until warmed through.