Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi are made in one pot in just 30 minutes. It's a simple and quick dinner to make on a busy weeknight. This delicious restaurant-quality meal might become a new family favorite dinner!
Creamy chicken and gnocchi
If you're looking for an easy recipe made with basic ingredients, look no further! Juicy and tender chicken together with gnocchi are smothered in a luscious cream sauce. This easy 30-minute meal makes a beautiful presentation! In this recipe, everything is cooked in one skillet: chicken, veggies, cream sauce, and even gnocchi! It's simple comfort food that is super easy to make at home! This incredibly easy 30-minute one-pan dinner will make any cold evening more inviting and cozy.
I used store-bought shelf-stable gnocchi that you can find in most grocery stores in the pasta section. If you'd like more gnocchi recipe inspiration, don't miss these one-pan creamy sausage gnocchi.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Simple meal. The recipe features basic ingredients found in most pantries, including skinless boneless chicken thighs, store-bought gnocchi, heavy cream, spinach, and mushrooms.
- 30-Minute, One-Pan Meal. I love minimalistic style recipes that end up with minimal cleanup. After you're done cooking and enjoying this delicious meal, there is only one pan to clean! And the whole recipe takes only 30 minutes!
- Super flavorful. Tender and juicy chicken is smothered in a garlic cream sauce together with veggies (spinach and mushrooms).
- Family-friendly dinner. This recipe is super cozy and perfect for cold nights in the Fall and in the winter. It's a perfect choice to make on a busy weeknight. This dish is so comforting, creamy, and flavorful - it will become your family's new favorite comfort food! If you're looking for another cozy gnocchi recipe, be sure to try my creamy butternut squash gnocchi with sausage.
What is gnocchi?
Gnocchi originated in Italy and is basically dumplings made of small lumps of dough. The gnocchi dough is usually made by combining wheat flour, potatoes, eggs, and seasonings. Technically, gnocchi is not pasta (since they are made as dumplings), however, gnocchi is often categorized as pasta.
What kind of gnocchi to use?
I used store-bought, shelf-stable potato gnocchi, a Delallo brand, made with 85% potatoes. They are delicious and have an amazing texture! You can also use refrigerated kind.
Do you need to precook the gnocchi?
No, you don't! That's what I love the best about this recipe - everything is cooked in one pan (including chicken and gnocchi). This minimizes the clean-up as there is only one skillet to clean. And, it takes only about 5 minutes of boiling gnocchi on medium-high heat to cook them! Just add the uncooked gnocchi directly to the creamy sauce. As you cook the gnocchi in the sauce, the starch from the gnocchi is released which helps to thicken the sauce. The longer you cook the gnocchi, the thicker the sauce.
What type of chicken to use with gnocchi?
- Skinless and boneless chicken thighs. That's what I used in this quick recipe - the dark meat of chicken thighs is juicy and tender and is usually quite forgiving to cook.
- Skinless and boneless chicken breasts tend to dry out faster, so be sure to watch your cooking times closely, ensuring that the chicken is cooked all the way through quickly, without drying out.
- Chicken tenders are also a perfect choice for this recipe. Make sure to avoid overcooking as chicken tenders cook fast.
- I do not recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken as it takes much longer to cook them. Also, not everyone will like the skin on the chicken.
Main ingredients
- Gnocchi. I used store-bought potato gnocchi, Delallo brand, made with 85% potatoes.
- Chicken. I used skinless boneless chicken thighs. The dark chicken meat works well in this recipe and is quite forgiving to cook. The chicken comes out moist and tender every time!
- Heavy cream provides the desired creaminess.
- Greens. I used fresh spinach. You can also use frozen spinach - thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, use kale instead.
- Mushrooms. I used fresh crimini mushrooms. You can also use portobello mushrooms or shiitake.
The Directions
1) Season the chicken. First, season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
2) Cook the chicken. Next, cook the seasoned chicken in a large skillet over medium heat until completely cooked. Remove chicken from the skillet. How do you know when the chicken is cooked through? The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
3) Cook mushrooms. Then, cook the mushrooms in the same skillet. When they are cooked, remove them from the skillet.
4) Make the creamy sauce and cook the gnocchi. Next, to the same, now empty, skillet add uncooked potato gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Bring to a boil on medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.
5) Add fresh spinach, and cook on medium heat until the spinach wilts to your liking.
6) Assembly. Finally, assemble the dish by adding back cooked mushrooms and cooked chicken thighs to the skillet with creamy sauce and gnocchi. Super easy! 30-minutes from start to finish!
Cooking tips
- Use a high-sided, heavy-bottomed cooking pan such as a cast-iron skillet or a good-quality stainless steel pan. This will help avoid the burn spots and will ensure even cooking without food getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.
- Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking the chicken. Creating space between the chicken thighs will allow the chicken to sear nicely instead of steaming. Use a large enough pan to accommodate all of your chicken or work in batches. The cast-iron pan works the best!
- Change up the greens. This is a perfect recipe to use spinach, kale, or arugula!
- Can you make it gluten-free? Yes! There is gluten-free gnocchi available online or in some grocery stores. Just make sure to check the label.
Storage and reheating tips
Sadly, creamy chicken and gnocchi do not freeze well. They also keep refrigerated only for a couple of days, and even then with mixed results. When I made chicken gnocchi and refrigerated it in an airtight container for one day, the sauce thickened the next day and changed its texture when I reheated it carefully. I would recommend making just enough food to eat it all at once - thankfully that takes only 30 minutes. If you do decide to store the leftovers, here are some tips:
- Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container only for up to 2 days.
- How to reheat in the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated chicken gnocchi in a microwave oven for about 30 seconds. Stir, taste, and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed. Reheat in 30 seconds increments until it's completely warmed through. Add a small amount of heavy cream, milk, or water, to thin out the sauce.
- How to reheat on the stovetop. Reheat the leftovers in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat. When using this method, add a small amount of heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk to thin out the sauce when reheating. Do not use high heat when reheating.
What to serve with it
Chicken and gnocchi is a meal on its own that doesn't really need any side dishes. But if you want add-ons, here are some ideas:
- Bread. What can be better than dipping a warm slice of bread into the creamy sauce? Serve this recipe with warm Italian bread or olive bread. Or, make your own perfectly non-dense loaf of bread in a bread machine.
- Salad. Since chicken gnocchi is a rich and creamy dish, it's only appropriate to add a salad to it. Serve this with a simple spinach salad or arugula salad with pine nuts. Or, make a strawberry spinach salad or tomato cucumber avocado salad.
Other gnocchi recipes you might like
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi - One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.3 lb chicken thighs skinless boneless
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms crimini
- salt and pepper
Gnocchi
- 16 oz potato gnocchi
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
How to cook chicken
- Season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, freshly ground black pepper.
- Heat an empty high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat through.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. This allows the chicken to sear.
- Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it's cooked through.
- The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
How to cook mushrooms
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same, now empty, skillet. Cook sliced mushrooms (seasoned with salt and pepper) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high heat for about 1 or 2 minutes, until lightly browned and softened. Remove cooked mushrooms from the skillet.
How to make creamy sauce
- To the same, now empty, skillet add uncooked potato gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika.
- Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir everything well. Cover with lid, and allow the gnocchi to cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.
- Add fresh spinach, and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until the spinach wilts to your liking. Cook longer if you would like a thicker sauce.
Assembly
- Stir in half of cooked mushrooms.
- Season with salt, freshly ground coarse black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if you like.
- Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Top with the remaining half of cooked mushrooms
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Tried this tonight… fabulous! Hubby recommended artichoke hearts for next time so I think I’ll try it! Thank you!
Jennifer, I am so happy this recipe was a success! Love the addition of artichoke hearts for next time - great idea!
Wow! Our Daughter that is in the Coast Guard in Portland Oregon made this recipe and She said it was delicious. We made it tonight and followed it to the letter! It was so yummy! Followed the recipe to the letter! We have a neighbor that is a trained cook, He said it was "restaurant quality!" Will definitely make this again!
Dave, I am so flattered by your comment - thank you! 🙂 So glad that everyone liked this recipe - that makes me happy! Happy Holidays! 🙂
I love most of your receipts but have a question about the best ‘single’ cast iron skillet for someone who doesn’t cook much?
Hi Bobbie, I obviously like Staub cast-iron skillet that I use a lot in my recipes. Staub cookware has an enamel coating that has quite a few advantages that I personally like:
1)
You don't ever have to season it. Just add olive oil when you are cooking.
2)
I never wash it in a dishwasher - but I do wash it by hand in a sink after each use and it cleans beautifully. Even when washing the skillet after each use, it cooks food perfectly, the food doesn't stick to it. Always, make sure to dry the skillet completely so that there is never water sitting in it. With a regular cast iron skillet, you will have to keep it seasoned and can't really wash it after each use.
3)
You're not supposed to bring the cast iron skillet to high heat right away to avoid thermal shock. What I do is I start heating an empty cast iron skillet on low heat for a minute, then on medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes. Then, I add cooking oil and start cooking. I find that I never even have to use high heat at all - because the skilled heats through evenly and even on medium heat on my stovetop it sears the food beautifully.
Here are 2 practical cast iron pans that I own. The first one is 12 inches (make sure to choose 12 inches as there are 2 sizes - 10 inches and 12 inches), and the second one is 11 inches.
They are similar - you can just get one of these - you can buy them on AMAZON, too:
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/staub-fry-pan/?cm_src=WsiPipRvi&recstrat=RVI%7CRVI
https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/2600829/