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Soft pillowy gnocchi with a parmesan cream sauce, tender chicken, and spinach. You are going to love this creamy chicken gnocchi. Bonus that it’s all made in one pan!
Gnocchi lovers (or anyone who loves a cozy meal), this one is for you. Grab a glass a wine, some cozy sweatpants, and get ready to enjoy a delicious weeknight staple. There’s just something about those little dumplings that warm my soul!
This one pan creamy chicken and gnocchi recipe features tender chicken breasts nestled in a creamy sauce with pillowy gnocchi, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes.
One pot meals will forever have a place in my heart because they’re easy and delicious.
Why You’ll Love this Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
- Rich, creamy, and garlicky sauce.
- Kids love it (even my toddlers!).
- Ultimate comfort food.
- Sneaky spinach!
- All made in one pan.
- Great recipe for weeknights.
Do you love gnocchi? Try chicken alfredo gnocchi bake, creamy chicken gnocchi soup, or Tuscan sheet pan gnocchi next!
Ingredients You Need
Here are the fresh ingredients for this delicious chicken and gnocchi. Jump to recipe for exact measurements.
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes gives it tons of flavor.
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: I also love this recipe with chicken thighs (they take slightly longer to cook).
- Butter and oil: the combination adds rich flavor.
- Shallot and garlic: both of these create the base of the sauce.
- White wine and lemon: the acid in white wine and lemon juice balances out this dish and helps deglaze the pan after you sear the chicken.
- Gnocchi: store bought gnocchi works just fine in this easy recipe (use gluten-free if needed). Fresh gnocchi from Whole Foods is always a great option. Or try homemade cauliflower gnocchi.
- Parmesan cheese: the salty richness gives the creamy sauce a ton of flavor. Bonus points for letting the parmesan rind simmer in the sauce.
- Heavy cream: another creamy thickener to richen the sauce.
- Fresh spinach and sun-dried tomatoes: adds greens, color, and extra flavor, just like creamy tuscan chicken.
How to Make Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
These are the step-by-step instructions for this chicken gnocchi recipe. Jump to recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Season and sear the chicken: Drizzle with olive oil and toss it with spices. Pan fry it in a large skillet, like a cast iron skillet, on both sides until it reaches an internal temp of 165°F, 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a cutting board.
- Saute shallots and garlic: Melt butter in the same skillet then saute the shallot and garlic. Deglaze the pan with white wine, then add the chicken broth and simmer to reduce.
- Make the creamy sauce with gnocchi: Stir in the heavy cream and uncooked gnocchi and simmer to cook. The starch from the gnocchi also thickens the sauce.
- Add the spinach and parmesan: Stir in the parmesan cheese, spinach, lemon juice, and sun-dried tomatoes, and cook to wilt the spinach.
- Finish and serve: Nestle the chicken back into the pan with the creamy sauce and gnocchi and serve with fresh herbs.
Variations and Add-Ins
- Chicken breasts: use chicken thighs or skip the steps to sear the chicken and use rotisserie chicken instead.
- More veggies: Add baby bella mushrooms to onion and garlic. Tuscan kale is a great swap for baby spinach.
- Dairy-free or gluten-free: use vegan butter, nutritional yeast, and coconut cream. I’ve tested this with Delallo gluten-free gnocchi.
Quick Tips
- Slice the chicken in half lengthwise and/or pound it to an even thickness for even cooking.
- Add a few tablespoons of water to the skillet with the chicken if it’s starting to burn before the chicken is cooked through all the way.
- Use an instant-read thermometer and pull the chicken just before 165°F (it will continue cooking slightly as it rests).
- Use high-quality chicken stock or broth. The better the quality, the richer and more flavorful the sauce.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Remember the gnocchi will continue to release starch and thicken the sauce over time. I don’t recommend freezing leftovers because the texture of the sauce will change as it defrosts because of the dairy.
Reheat in a saute pan over medium-low heat, adding additional chicken broth or cream to thin out the sauce as needed.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Love one pot meals? Try buffalo chicken pasta, one pot taco pasta, or creamy white chicken lasagna soup next.
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 16 oz potato gnocchi gluten-free if needed
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups baby spinach chopped
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes sliced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Season chicken: pat the chicken dry then drizzle with 1 Tablespoons of olive oil and coat with the Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and salt.2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Sear chicken: Heat another Tablespoon of oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry the chicken until the internal temperature reaches 165°F, 4-5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a clean plate or cutting board.2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 1/2 lb chicken breasts
- Cook the onion and garlic: Melt butter over medium heat in the same skillet. Cook the shallot until soft, 2-3 minutes, then add the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.1 medium shallot, 3 garlic cloves
- Creamy sauce: Deglaze the pan with white wine and scrape any brown bits from the bottom. Stir in the chicken broth and simmer over low heat for 3-4 minutes to reduce.1/4 cup white wine, 3/4 cup chicken broth
- Cook gnocchi: Stir in the heavy cream and uncooked gnocchi and simmer until the sauce thickens and gnocchi is cooked through, 3-4 minutes.16 oz potato gnocchi, 1 cup heavy cream
- Add spinach: Stir in the spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon, and parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and spinach wilts.2 cups baby spinach, 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- Finish and serve: Slice the cooked chicken into strips or bite-sized pieces and add it back to the creamy gnocchi and top with fresh cracked black pepper, parsley or fresh thyme.
Notes
Video
Equipment
- Deep skillet or saute pan
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delish! My husband always asks for this when I say I’m making chicken for dinner. One of our favorite meals now!
Love that! Thanks, Emily!
I did not use the alternatives but next time I will, this will now be my fall comfort meal, it was absolutely delish! My husband had 2 plates and still wanted more haha that being said my husband is very on top of me about my PCOS he wants to know how is this meal PCOS friendly. Thank you very much
Hey there!! So glad you liked it! I wouldn’t consider this one super PCOS friendly. But it can be if you make sure you’re eating all the chicken and add a vegetable side to fill up a lot of your plate. You can use DF swaps if that’s inflammatory for you. Not all of my recipes are truly “PCOS friendly” if we’re talking stric anti-inflammatory. PCOS diets are very specific to the person so it’s best to understand your body and adapt recipes or add sides that fill them up with veggies and protein in addition to this. Hope that makes sense!
This is definitely a keeper for us. Only thing I had trouble with is why it calls for 4 sprigs of thyme. I couldn’t find it anywhere in the recipe expect as a possible garnish.
Thanks for the feedback, Laura! I think I forgot to include that in the directions. Updating now!
I made some homemade cassava, sweet potato gnocchi from heal me delicious to pair with this and it was yummy. I do need to say that I didn’t follow the directions. I can’t have cow dairy so I used 1 c. Of goats milk, and 1 c. Yoggu, which is a coconut yogurt (in Canada). I also can’t have tomatoes, but can tolerate small amounts of red pepper, so used jarred roasted red pepper. I can’t do spice, so ditched the red pepper flakes. I do a similar chicken dish, but brown the chicken thighs, make the sauce and braised them in the oven for an hour at 375 and i love that technique so thats what i did. It makes the chicken fall apart tender. Since my pasta was homemade and it was the first time, I cooked them separately at the end and added them to the sauce after I removed the chicken and let them simmer until the sauce was thickened, re-adding the chicken to finish. Made Broccoli as a side.
Loved using this recipe as a base to play and see if I could fit my dietary restrictions. My whole family and the sons gf who has similar restrictions to me loved it too!
Oh and I used fresh pecorino since it’s the only hard cheese I’ve found that’s made with goat/sheep’s milk.
This is awesome and easy
Delicious. Would have left out the thyme though. So much flavor already. Thyme was a bit overwhelming. Will definitely make again.
I originally meant to make this with chickpea gnocchi, but the ones I bought from Aldi were horribly sour (I cooked them separately bc they smelled odd) so I made it with noodles instead ( minus wine, and substituted heavy cream for whole milk+cornstarch). It was delicious!
I have read and re-read the recipe and didn’t find anywhere to add the tomatoes… plus shallot is spelled wrong. Sorry I’m a stickler for editing. This was okay.
Hey Lori! You’re right, I left it out on accident! You add them at the same time as the spinach. I updated the recipe and fixed the spelling issue too. Thanks!
Tried this with the recommended coconut cream replacement, and I added mushrooms. I also used the olive oil from the tomatoes for my marinade and skillet. The flavor of the chicken was great. The coconut cream made the recipe way too sweet for me but my husband liked it. I will be using regular cream next time.
Thanks for the feedback, Elise! You could also try a different brand of coconut cream. Sometimes some are sweeter than others.