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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

One Pot Gnocchi with Spinach and Chicken

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

4.74 from 96 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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Recipe Rating




122 comments

    • Laura Summees
    • 5 stars

    From another Southern California girl who moved to the Midwest I know exactly what you are talking about the winters. I love spinach and parmigiana cheese, but husband not so much. So I substituted the spinach with peas and the cheese with mozzarella. Yummy, and he likes it.

    • Ainsley
    • 5 stars

    This is one of our favorite family dishes – I’d suggest swapping Spinach for spring peas and omitting nutmeg for almost a chicken and dumpling vibe. So so good!

    • Heidi Hagens
    • 5 stars

    Love this! And make it all the time. Usually half without mushrooms for picky family members and lactose free milk.

      • chewoutloud

      Thanks Heidi!

    • Rosemary Kipley
    • 5 stars

    We used frozen spinach and it was still wonderful. We poached a chicken breast in spicey water, yum.

      • chewoutloud

      Fantastic, Rosemary! 🙂

    • Megan

    How does this do as leftovers? I love cooking this dish for game nights, but I’m wondering about doing it as meal prep on Sunday for weekday lunches.

    • Marion

    I am doubling the recipe but I don’t have a skillet that’s oven safe. Can I transfer to a glass casserole dish to put in the oven

    • Kim

    Hi Amy,

    I am so happy you shared this recipe! I have been looking for some new pasta dishes to try that are a switch from my usual baked ziti or spaghetti and meatballs, and this dish looks just heavenly. Your Tuscan Tortellini has my mouth watering as well! 🙂

      • chewoutloud

      Yay, so happy you liked the dishes, Kim! 🙂

    • JJ
    • 5 stars

    This was delicious. I didn’t have rotisserie chicken so I just cooked up some breast and used that. Next time I will also make more sauce. And I use chicken stock because that’s all that I had but I think I will use chicken broth so it’s not so thick. Delicious.

      • chewoutloud

      So happy to hear you all loved this. Great idea making extra sauce 🙂

    • Ramona
    • 5 stars

    I have made this last night and it was a dream. Creamy and so delish, the kids want it again already. It will be on the make again very soon. Thank you for sharing.

      • chewoutloud

      Awesome, Ramona! Thanks so much for coming back to let us know you enjoyed this 🙂 🙂

    • Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
    • 5 stars

    I have only just discovered gnocchi and I love it!! As soon as I saw this recipe I bookmarked it right away. This will be happening in my kitchen soon!!

      • chewoutloud

      So glad you like it – thanks, Cathleen!

    • Jacque Hastert
    • 5 stars

    I love that this is one pot dinner that is filling and irresistible. The sauce sounds amazing and loaded with so much flavor.

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you like this, Jacque!

    • Mikayla
    • 5 stars

    I love gnocchi and this was a really delicious way to serve it to my family. Our California winter isn’t anything like yours but I’ll look for any hint of a cool breeze to make this again, perfect comfort food!

      • chewoutloud

      So so happy you and your family enjoyed this dish, Mikayla! Enjoy your CA winters! 🙂

    • Alena
    • 5 stars

    I love that this can be made so easily in 1 pot. I’ve really been feeling gnocchi lately so this is right up my alley!

    • Emily
    • 5 stars

    This gnocchi bake is so satisfying! Love the combo of gnocchi with spinach and chicken- it is great for a weeknight meal!

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you liked this dish, Emily!

    • Lesli Schwartz
    • 5 stars

    I love that you didn’t use heavy cream in this recipe! This looks absolutely delicious!

      • chewoutloud

      Thank you, Lesli!

    • Joyce Leung

    Omg, this looks sooooo tasty and comforting! I love spinach and glad you incorporated it into this recipe! Gotta try it out!

    • Stine Mari
    • 5 stars

    Mushrooms are so good with pasta and I think this looks like the perfect and warming weekend dinner for these cold months (had to giggle about your flip floppy self – funny!). I’m going to make this tonight!

    • Jacqui Debono
    • 5 stars

    Gnocchi is one of my favourite textures. You can’t beat that soft, pillowy bite! Any recipe that calls for only one dish is a winner too. This is a perfect weeknight dish for us, I am adding it to the menu for next week!

    • Sabrina Barnett

    I made this tonight and my husband and grandson(he’s picky!)loved it too! Grandson said, “Mawmaw would you make stuff like this all the time!!!???”

    I reallly didn’t think it would be that easy to make nor that good! I Did alter some things- powdered garlic with chopped onions. Also Parmesan powder instead of fresh. Oh and regular Hot sausage instead of Italian sausage. Still … Delish!!!!
    Thank you and I rate this a 10+

      • chewoutloud

      So happy you and your family all loved this dish – YAY!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

    • Shirley
    • 5 stars

    I made this on a week night. It is delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. Doing all the prep work first is key to making this an easy meal. I am betting the leftovers will be fantastic.

      • chewoutloud

      So so happy you love this, Shirley!! 🙂

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