Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
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Soft-pillowy gnocchi, a garlicky cream sauce, tender, juicy chicken thighs, and sneaked-in kale? Yes, 1,000% yes.
Featured Comment
If you need one of those nights in with a tall glass of white wine (that you can also use in this recipe) and the best kind of comfort food you can eat in the most comfortable sweatpants, this is it for you.
It’s hearty, it’s cozy, and it’s super super easy to whip up.
Now you can use store-bought cauliflower potato gnocchi (I used the one from Whole Food’s here – it seemed a lot lighter and less dense than the regular kind of gnocchi), or you can go that extra mile and use the homemade gnocchi recipe here.
IT IS ALL GOOD. There is absolutely no wrong-doing here at all. Just know that the cream sauce is absolute perfection.
tips and tricks for success
- Homemade gnocchi goes a long way. In a pinch, we love using cauliflower potato gnocchi but we also highly recommend using homemade gnocchi if you have the time. It makes all of the difference!
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Add in your leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in all the greens (kale, spinach, cabbage, swiss chard or collard greens) for those picky eaters.
what to serve with chicken and gnocchi
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Additional chicken broth can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Spinach, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all great subs.
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce)package cauliflower potato gnocchi
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine*
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, about 2 ounces
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions; drain well.
- Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Add shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken broth and wine, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in half and half until thickened, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in gnocchi and kale until the kale has wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet; sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 10-12 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Great stuff. Added some diced red chili and broccoli, some mixed cheese ontop to bake. Family loved it. Thanks
I love this dish. This is my third time making it and it keeps getting better! I added some sundried tomatoes this time and it was perfect. I’ve made it with regular gnocchi and cauliflower gnocchi and I prefer the latter. Cauliflower gnocchi are lighter and as the chicken thighs and sauce are already so rich that I think having something pillowy and lighter is ideal. Keep up the amazing recipes!!!
I wanted to love this. The chicken and sauce were delicious, I loved the kale in the sauce and also added mushrooms. My issue arose with the cauliflower-potato gnocchi. Perhaps it was the type of cauliflower-potato gnocchi I used but it had a very “off” taste and added a weird taste and texture to the meal.
If I made this again I would opt for regular potato gnocchi, or omit it altogether and serve it over egg noodles.
I mean, yeah it was obviously not good gnocci
this was so good, even without that half and half. 100% will make again.
This was incredible. It hit every craving spot and I had to hold msyelf back from eating the whole thing by myself.
My only dream for the recipe was that there was some way to make part of it ahead.. any ideas?
This recipe looks amazing!!
Do you have nutritional information for this recipe? It would greatly help those with restricted diets.
In this day and age, nutritional information for all recipes would be a wonderful thing….thank you kindly
It’s deliciously high in fat, salt and carbs!! Yummy!! If you have my fitness pal, you can enter the recipe and it’ll tell you the nutritional information.
This recipe was a real winner! . I followed the recipe exactly except for the half and half. I used the fat free variety. My family thought it was restaurant-quality. Next time I make it, I plan to skip the kale and use fresh basil and sun-dried tomatoes. I also think my family will enjoy mushrooms in this dish.
Could someone tell me what the half and half is please? Is it cream?
Thanks
Half milk and half cream. Best of luck!
It’s a simple and easy recipe. It has such good flavor. It also has room for you to add a little something like mushrooms or pepper flakes. I also like that it’s all cooked in the same skillet so not a lot of clean up. I will definitely be trying this recipe again.
Delicious loved it will do it again
Used regular potato gnocchi and Added 8oz baby Bella mushrooms and it was awesome!
Very tasty and easy to make! Surprised there was so much flavor
I made this for my husband and he enjoyed it …it was really delicious.
This IS damn delicious. Added mushrooms. No TJ’s here so used regular gnocchi which worked great. Must try! You won’t regret it. Thanks for another great recipe!
This is an amazing recipe. I’ve been sharing it with my friends! Love! Used cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joes and a bit more kale.
It is Damn Delicious! ❤
This was absolutely delicious Fresh kale and thyme from the garden and the cream sauce was perfect. Everyone loved it!
This was darn delicious. Used regular supermarket gnocchi, otherwise followed the recipe. I like the fact that it’s one pan with protein, starch and veg all in there. Next time I might cut some mushrooms in half and toss them in, and add some hot chili flakes for a little oomph. All in all, a keeper.
The texture is amazing. And flavors… sooo good! I have to make this asap. Thanks for this lovely recipe!
Amazingly good! Substituted a couple of handfuls of baby spinach for the kale, otherwise followed the recipe- Delicious! Thank you!
Nice recipe the whole family liked! No kale on hand, used a bag of spinach. . . a bag was too much. Would use had or two thirds next time. Also added a squeeze of lemon to add some acidity. My daughter commented that if some day we didn’t have the gnocchi it would be great over spaghetti squash.
So so delicious! Did use chicken breasts and spinach. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks for this tip! I was wondering if I could use chicken breasts!
Is the gnocchi fresh or frozen or shelf-stable (wondering where to look for it at my WF store)? Is it Whole Foods brand or another brand? Thanks!