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.
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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!
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.
This was delicious. I followed the recipe for the sauce exactly except using half of a large onion instead of shallot and used spinach and mushrooms instead of kale. It was so good. Next time, I plan to make a little extra sauce. Thank you for sharing!
This recipe is AWESOME, unsurprisingly. Everything I’ve made from Damn Delicious is just that. I used your recipe for homemade dumplings and they were great. I didn’t have an oven safe skillet so I transferred everything to a glass casserole dish and it worked out really well. I doubled the garlic and used two shallots. Next time I might use a little bit more flour to make the sauce a little thicker, but it was still incredible!
How much of the homemade gnocci did you use?
Made this tonight with your homemade gnocci. Excellent. Will be making again. Thank you.
How much homemade gnocci did you use? Thank you!
what is 1/2 and 1/2 in this receipe????
Google is your friend. It’s half milk, half heavy cream. Readily available in every American grocery store’s dairy case as “half & half.”
real coffee cream (half milk /half whole cream)
Half milk half cream
I’d like to make this using your homemade gnocci recipe. Should I use the same amount as the store bought? 16 ounces? Thank you!!
Oh my goodness! This is the best thing I’ve eaten in a long time! Made it for dinner tonight. Doubled the sauce and gnocchi and sautéed some shrimp on the side for the non-meat eaters. Added some extra seasonings {onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and Tony Chachere’s} to the chicken {and btw, I’m so not a thigh fan, but I went with them anyway and I’m glad I did!}. Also added those seasonings to the sauce. And speaking of that sauce, I could drink it by the cupful – it’s that damn delicious! Love the way the kale still has a bit of crunch to it, but I think spinach would be good, too, in a pinch. Oh, and didn’t have wine, so I used extra broth.
Damn Woman! You make good food!
I too had to make do with some substitutions for things I didn’t have on-hand. Chicken tenders, spinach, onion, vegetable broth, dried thyme; it was delicious but next time I will try the original… -and yes! there will definitely be a next time! So good!
Made this last night. My only substitution was baby spinach instead of kale because it was what I had on hand. The sauce….sooooo good. The whole family loved it. Very easy and delicious. Love your recipes.
This was delicious as are all of your recipes I have tried!
I made it and we all loved it!! The only thing I would do differently next time is DOUBLE THE RECIPE!! You are my go to every time I’m looking for recipes. Love your recipes!!
I used onions instead of shallots, breast instead of thighs, dried thyme instead of fresh, spinach instead of kale and extra broth instead of wine. I didn’t precook the gnocchi. I threw some mozzarella on top. BUT OTHER THAN THAT I COMPLETELY FOLLOWED THIS RECIPE. Lol! I was damn delicious!
Turned out great! I know it’s called “Garlicky” for a reason. It was a little too strong for me so I’ll probably take the garlic down a notch and add mushrooms next time. Thank you!
OH MY GOD!
I just found this recipe today on Instagram and decided to cook it for dinner. It was a hit with the whole family. My brother who is incredibly picky even loved it. It’s the first time I’ve ever come across a recipe from you and I can’t wait to find more.
Hi! I actually made this today after getting the email. This recipe is perfect for a nice cozy night in. I would like to share a few edits I made, as I always find everyone’s suggestions helpful:
A) I love garlic, so I used a whole bulb and more butter. I would recommend Kerrygold.
B) I used two shallots
C) I made the suggested non-alcoholic substitution and didn’t miss a beat. Thank you for providing!
D) I seasoned the chicken with a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion salt, and a bit of garlic salt.
Thank you so much for sharing these delicious recipes with us!!
Rachel