Soft-pillowy gnocchi, a garlicky cream sauce, tender, juicy chicken thighs, and sneaked-in kale? Yes, 1,000% yes.
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.
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
Yield: 4- 6 servings
Prep: 20 minutesminutes
Cook: 40 minutesminutes
Total: 1 hourhour
Soft-pillowy gnocchi, a garlicky cream sauce, tender, juicy chicken thighs, and sneaked-in kale? Yes, 1,000% yes.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
5tablespoonsunsalted butter, divided
1medium shallot, diced
3clovesgarlic, minced
2teaspoonschopped fresh thyme leaves
3tablespoonsall-purpose flour
1 ¼cupchicken broth
¼cupdry white wine*
½cuphalf and half
1bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
½cupfreshly grated Parmesan, about 2 ounces
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large pot 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 skillet 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
*Additional chicken broth can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.