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!
Very good recipe and I even forgot the cream! I used 20 oz frozen cauliflower gnocchi so I had to add a little more broth to liquid it up (the cream sitting behind me of the counter was certainly glaring at me). I also used breasts instead of thighs. I’ll probably try spinach next time as I just prefer it to kale and can’t wait to actually try it with cream!
I made this, but with Garlic pepper, and regular potatoe
So good!! I used potato gnocchi instead of cauliflower gnocchi and chicken broth instead of wine, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. Absolutely delicious, will make again.
Great recipe! My whole fam loved it, even the picky teen becuase I could easily give him chicken and gnocchi without kale. After you add the flour and cook for a minute, the addition of the wine and chicken stock let you loosen up the botton and incorporate all the chicken yumminess on the bottom of your pan. I made this in an oven proof dutch oven. Will definitely make again!
Can I ask what kind of pan you recommend to cook this in? Cast iron?
This is FANTASTIC! Even my picky son loved this one. I was initially concerned that the only seasonings are salt, pepper and thyme, but BABY! This works. It’s delicious, favorable and comforting. Thanks.
This sauce is a sleeper – It was seriously SO good!
Made this tonight – I screwed up my sauce by adding the flour too late, but it was still so great! Excited to make it right the next time ;). I did use spinach instead of kale cause I have it on hand more often. I am going to try and use less butter next time just because 5tbsp is a lot and I felt like it was a little greasy, but the flavors were so delicious and will take a stab again!
Can’t wait to make this. How would you advise trying it with pieces of salmon, also? I think searing them before putting it into the oven should do the trick but what do you think?
If I could give this more stars, I would. Made it for Christmas Day and it was a total smash. So delicious – thank you for this recipe!!
This was delicious, family loved it. Thank you!
Made this last night as we didn’t have any Christmas leftovers. It’s fantastic! I just ate the one leftover chicken thigh for lunch and it’s great the next day too. I would make some entirely minor tweaks the next time – for example I would use the stock and the wine to deglaze the pan and then make a little rue to thicken up the sauce. I feel like I left flavor on the pan. I will also use less flour than the recipe calls for. By adding the flour first it’s hard to tell if it’s too much or not enough since you add the liquid later. I found it was waaay to much flour and had to add some water to loosen up the sauce. That being said, these are minor issues. This dish is hearty, delicious, and something I will definitely be making (with some very minor tweaks) again!
What can I sub out for the white wine?
chicken broth/stock works fine in place of white wine
Your recipes are so yummy! Thank you!
I’ve always love your recipes, but I have to admit I’m visiting your website less and less because of the busy interface. All the unnecessary videos and popup ads are a waste of my time and bandwidth for my struggling internet.
We are so sorry that you are having trouble using the website, Linda. The unnecessary ads keep our recipes free of charge to amazing readers like yourself and our team of 4 women employed during a year where many have lost their jobs and healthcare.
We recommend clicking on “print recipe” for an ad-free view of the instructions and ingredients. Hope that helps!
100% spot on with your respnse Jana!
I agree with Linda, I remember a day when the ads didn’t interfere with scrolling through recipes or articles. I do use the print option but even that takes awhile as well. Also, the reply from Damn Delicious (Jana) seems a wee bit snobby elite, don’t really need to be lectured on people being able To Work From Home, REMEMBER WE ARE THE ONES WHO PATRONIZE YOUR SITE, REALITY CHECK. Linda was making a suggestion to streamline your web content, other sites don’t make it so frustrating to Read The Storyline before the Recipe itself as this site does.
We apologize for any miscommunication. Nobody means to be “snobby elite” here – we are all doing the best we can, and we are so fortunate to live in a world where we can share our recipes with readers like yourself and support our team members full-time.
We hope you can continue to enjoy some of our favorite recipes.
I’m so glad Jana had a change of heart I see, but Jana rewrote her reply Entirely without any notation stating that it was Edited, thus making my comment seem overboard or false. I come from the old school of thought where if you admit a mistake and are truly remorseful you would do it with integrity and let the previous post stand as written. Thank you Chungah for stepping up and a taking criticism with grace and keeping it real.
I love that I can search your site while defrosting chicken thighs (with no particular inspiration myself !)and come up with another delicious dinner for my family. They all guessed that the recipe came from your website ( I’m a frequent damn delicious flyer) Please keep them coming! Thank you and Happy New Year!
Oh my goodness, this was so good Restaurant quality. The sauce was so good I could drink it! Please try it, you will not be sorry.
Made this tonight and it was soooo good. Had to call an audible a little when my Gnocchi weren’t holding up (I used a frozen one-lesson learned). Went with small diced potatoes instead. It was a huge hit. The whole family loved it!!
So delicious!
Made this last night. Only change was I used half thighs and half boneless breast because 1/2 the family prefers white meat. I also added some sliced mushrooms with the shallot. Wonderful flavours. Enjoyed by all. Love your recipes.
Our family loves so many of your recipes. Today I was in a funk of ‘what should I make’ and decided to take a chance with this one. Yes Yes YES – this was tasty, creamy, comfort foody and delightful! Wasn’t sure how that kale was going to wilt down but it did. I made the dish exactly as posted & I rate this a damn delicious go-to! Everyone happy in this house tonight .
Hi! Would you mind sharing what the pan is that you used fir this recipe? Is it a Staub Dutch oven or a skillet? Thank you!
@ Lauren that looks like a staub Dutch oven. I’ve done it in both and find the top gets a nice golden color in the skillet but not in the Dutch oven. Tastes great either way though!
Made this dish last night. It was fantastic. I cut the chicken into strips rather than serving whole. I also added sliced baby bellas. No other mods were necessary for my family.