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Gnocchi with Chicken

This one-pot Gnocchi with Chicken is rich, creamy, velvety, and a full meal all by itself! Great for busy weeknights and delicious enough for weekends.

cooked gnocchi with chicken in pan.
Cheesy, creamy, and packed with protein – Gnocchi with Chicken is a favorite in our house!

Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe

Why This Recipe Stands Out

We love making flavorful, satisfying one-pan meals for weeknight dinners, and this Gnocchi with Chicken is one of the best. Here’s why:

  • The Sauce: What’s not to love about comforting pasta dishes – especially when they come with cheese and a cream sauce.
  • Super Easy: The prep for this recipe is really straight-forward and simple. It’s the perfect easy dinner for beginners in the kitchen.
  • Meal in One: We love soup and pasta dishes that allow us to sneak more greens into our (and our family’s) diet like this Tuscan Tortellini with Sausage and Spinach.
  • Make it Your Own: Keeping the base the same, you can easily play around with the kind of meat, veggies, and cheese you use in this recipe.

What Is Gnocchi?

Gnocchi is a type of pasta made from flour, mashed potatoes, and eggs. It gets its name from the little pillow-like lumps that it’s shaped into. Gnocchi literally means “lumps” in Italian. The main thing that sets gnocchi apart from other Italian pastas is the potatoes, which leave them chewy, doughy, and soft in texture.

What Is Roux?

A roux is a mixture of equal parts fat and flour that’s used to thicken sauces. This thickening technique is common in French cuisine and is often used with cream sauces to create that silky, velvety texture. While the kind of fat used in a roux can vary, butter is the most common option.

How To Make Roux

Depending on the recipe you’re making, you’ll want either a white roux or a brown roux. For this recipe, we’ll use a white roux. Here’s how to make it:

  1. Melt butter over medium-low heat and then add your flour. Remember it’s a 1:1 ratio.
  2. Stir butter and flour mixture for 3 minutes until it gets slightly puffy and the flour no longer smells raw. It won’t be browned at all at this point which is exactly what we want for a cream sauce like this.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients for your sauce, continuously whisking, and simmer until thickened.

Key Recipe Ingredients

spinach leaves for gnocchi with chicken.
  • Gnocchi – Make sure you’re not using frozen gnocchi for this recipe. You’ll find dry gnocchi in the pasta isle at your grocery store.
  • Rotisserie Chicken – Shredded rotisserie chicken gives this dish a healthy dose of protein and is super easy.
  • Whole Milk – Whole milk acts as the base for the cream sauce. Make sure not to swap this with a lower fat percentage as it won’t thicken the same as whole milk.
  • Parmesan Cheese – Fresh grated parmesan cheese provides umami flavors and great texture.
  • Spinach – We love the pop of color and health benefits that spinach adds to this dish.

Substitutions And Variations

Take a look at some of our favorite variations:

  • Meat: Feel free to substitute the rotisserie chicken with any meat you like. We think browned Italian sausage, cooked ham, shredded turkey, or ground beef would be great in this recipe.
  • Vegetarian Option: Omit the meat completely and replace the chicken broth with veggie broth for a vegetarian option. Try adding various veggies such as kale, peas, asparagus, or broccoli.
  • Cheese: You can also play around with the cheese in this recipe. Try sprinkling on some mozzarella, cheddar, asiago, or gruyere in addition to/instead of the parmesan.

Step-By-Step Recipe Instructions

  1. Whisk roux for 3 minutes over medium heat.
  2. Whisk in milk and chicken broth.
  1. Simmer and whisk until slightly thickened. Add spices and whisk.
  2. Add chicken, mushrooms, gnocchi, and spinach to the sauce and stir.
  1. Sprinkle parmesan over the top and bake at 425F for 15-20 minutes.
  2. If desired, broil for 2-3 minutes and serve with fresh herbs. Enjoy!

For full list of ingredients and instructions, see recipe card below.

How To Prep Ahead

Here’s a few of our favorite ways to prep-this gnocchi with chicken and spinach ahead of time:

  • Chop Veggies: The veggies in this recipe can be chopped several days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to use.
  • Shred Chicken: Feel free to shred your rotisserie chicken a couple days in advance. It will keep just as long in the fridge shredded as whole.
  • Shred Parmesan: When we want to make things easy for ourselves on cooking day, we like to shred our parmesan up to a few days ahead of time.
  • Refrigerate: Gnocchi with Chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days for a great meal prep lunch or dinner.
gnocchi with chicken fully baked.

What To Serve With Gnocchi With Chicken

Bread

  • If you’ve got some extra time on your hands, we highly recommend this Homemade French Bread. It makes a great side to any pasta dish!
  • This Rosemary Garlic Bread pairs really well with Gnocchi with Chicken and leaves the house smelling amazing.

Veggies

Desserts

Commonly Asked Questions

Is gnocchi a potato or a pasta?

You’ll hear gnocchi referred to as a pasta, but it’s both a potato and a pasta, as it contains both mashed potato and flour.

Can I freeze gnocchi with chicken?

While you can freeze gnocchi with chicken, cream sauces tend to separate when they’ve been frozen and thawed. So, we recommend enjoying this meal either right away or within a few days of baking.

What does gnocchi taste like?

Gnocchi tastes a lot like any other pasta, but it does have a fluffier texture than most pastas due to the fluffy potatoes within.

Why did my gnocchi come out mushy?

Make sure you haven’t pre-cooked your gnocchi. This recipe allows for plenty of time for the gnocchi to completely cook in the oven right in the sauce. If you pre-cook it, it will get overdone and mushy. If that isn’t the case, try baking for a little less time and see how that leaves the gnocchi’s texture. You could always try swapping the brand of gnocchi that you’re using as well.

Is gnocchi gluten-free?

Some people mistakenly think gnocchi is gluten-free, because it uses potatoes. However, there is still flour added to gnocchi. So, it’s not naturally gluten-free. You can, however, find gluten-free gnocchi in most grocery stores these days.

Did you make this?

Please give us a rating and comment below. We love hearing from you!

cooked gnocchi with chicken in pan.

Gnocchi with Chicken

4.75 from 99 ratings
This one-pot Gnocchi with Chicken is extraordinarily delicious! It's easy enough for any weeknight dinner, yet tasty and impressive enough for serving friends on the weekend.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Author: Amy Dong

Ingredients  

  • 2 TB butter, salted
  • 2 TB all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups whole milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth, regular strength
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb chicken, rotisserie, shredded
  • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, one package, thinly sliced
  • 17.5 oz potato gnocchi, from the dry pasta aisle; not frozen
  • 2 cups spinach, baby leaves
  • ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425F with rack on upper middle position.
  • In a deep/large and oven-proof skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk constantly for 3 minutes until a smooth roux is formed.
  • Whisk in milk and chicken broth until incorporated. Simmer and whisk constantly until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Whisk in nutmeg, onion powder, garlic, and kosher salt/ground pepper to taste.
  • Add shredded chicken, mushrooms, uncooked gnocchi, and spinach to the mixture. Stir gently until well coated through, 30 seconds.
  • Sprinkle parmesan evenly over the top and bake in oven about 15-20 minutes or until sauce is bubbly at around the edges and gnocchi is tender. If desired, broil 2-3 minutes to further brown the top.

Notes

  • This dish can easily be made meatless by omitting chicken, adding additional mushrooms/spinach, and using veggie broth.
  • Make sure not to pre-cook your gnocchi. This recipe gives it plenty of time to cook in the oven.
  • If you love this recipe, check out our One-Pan Gnocchi with Sausage.
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating. We ❤️ hearing from you! 
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Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 513kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 973mg | Potassium: 623mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1905IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 329mg | Iron: 6mg
Course: Dinner, Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian American
Method: Oven, Stovetop

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