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Juicy pan seared chicken thighs, tender gnocchi, and fresh baby spinach are brought together and then coated in a delicious garlicky sun dried tomato cream sauce to make this easy 30-minute Creamy Chicken Gnocchi! It’s a one-pan dish that is creamy, cheesy, and full of comforting refined flavor.
Easy Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Recipe
I personally don’t think gnocchi gets enough attention. These little Italian potato dumplings are a fantastic alternative to pasta or rice for a little variation. They cook quickly and like pasta, you can serve them with any sauce. Not to mention, they are just delicious!
So the other day when I realized I had some gnocchi in my pantry to use and chicken thighs in the fridge, I got to thinking. Why not take the best parts of my Marry Me Chicken and Garlic Parmesan Butter Gnocchi to create an amazing one-pan Creamy Chicken Gnocchi recipe!?! And that’s exactly what I did! This recipe is layered in rich, but comforting flavors that are simple to achieve in a short amount of time with very little effort.
And this easy recipe is a complete meal! No sides need to be made. Just cook and serve!
Why You’ll Love Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
- Easy Recipe! No fancy or expensive ingredients are needed to make this dish. You can find everything that you need at your local grocery store.
- Refined Comfort Food! Refined cream sauce combined with comforting seared chicken thighs and potato dumplings! It’s homestyle fancy deliciousness.
- One-Pan Wonder! This entire 30-minute recipe is cooked in just one pan. It’s the perfect little to no cleanup needed meal for a busy weeknight.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Main Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs – You will need boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe. Chicken breasts can be used as well, but keep in mind they aren’t as juicy and the cooking time will vary.
- Chicken Broth – I always use low-sodium broth to keep the added salt to a minimum. You can also make your own Instant Pot chicken stock if you prefer.
- Potato Gnocchi – Any store-bought gnocchi that you find in the pasta aisle will work. You can also make your own gnocchi for the ultimate creamy chicken gnocchi.
- Heavy Cream – Added for richness and a creamy texture.
- Onion – Brown onion is the best choice for the most flavor, but white onion works too.
Flavor Enhancers
- Parmesan Cheese – It adds a yummy cheesy flavor and makes the dish even creamier along with the heavy cream.
- Salt and Pepper – Used to season both the chicken and the final dish.
- Butter – Always use unsalted butter in all cooking to control the amount of added salt.
- Garlic – Always use fresh minced garlic when you can. Jarred minced garlic can sometimes be bitter.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes – You will find these packed in oil and sold in jars in the same aisle as the olives or near the pasta sauce.
- Italian Seasonings – It’s typically a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and marjoram. However, if you don’t have any on hand, just use a mixture of whatever is in your pantry.
- Red Pepper Flakes – Adds a nice touch of spice. But can be omitted if you prefer.
- Sweet Paprika – Blends beautifully with the butter, heavy cream, and red chili flakes to add depth.
- Baby Spinach – Use fresh spinach in this recipe for the most flavor. Frozen will work, but be sure to squeeze out most of the water before adding it to the dish.
This is a one-pan no fuss chicken and gnocchi recipe that you can make in just 30-minutes. Once you sear the chicken, the gnocchi is cooked and the simple sauce is made in the same pan!
Sear The Chicken Thighs
To begin, pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Then generously sprinkle them on both sides with salt and black pepper to season. Next, melt the unsalted butter over medium-high in a large skillet and add the chicken thighs to the pan to cook on each side for about 4 to 5 minutes or until cooked through. Then transfer the cooked chicken to a plate and set it aside for a later step.
Sauté The Onions And Garlic
For this next step, you can use the same pan that you just used to cook the chicken thighs! That’s why it’s called a one-pan recipe. So add the onion to the skillet and cook it for about 3 minutes on medium heat until it’s soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds more until it’s aromatic. More than 30 seconds and you run the risk of burning the garlic.
Start The Sauce And Cook The Gnocchi
Add the sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and sweet paprika to the skillet and cook the mixture for about a minute while stirring. Then add the chicken broth along with the gnocchi and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes or until the gnocchi is done.
Add The Heavy Cream And Cheese
Now, it’s time to make the sauce creamy! Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce for another 1 to 2 minutes until everything is heated through and creamy. Then give the sauce a taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Finish The Dish
Once the sauce is ready, mix the fresh baby spinach together with the sauce in the pan and cook it for about a minute or so until the spinach is wilted. Then put the chicken thighs back into the skillet and spoon the creamy sauce over the thighs.
Garnish And Serve
To enjoy, transfer the creamy chicken gnocchi to your favorite bowls and top with some more freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I love to serve this dish with my refreshing Cucumber Tomato Salad or simple Caprese Salad.
Is Gnocchi Pasta?
No, it’s more like a small Italian dumpling made of mashed potatoes, egg, and flour. You can’t make pasta noodles from gnocchi dough. So while they both do contain flour they are not the same.
Do I Need To Precook The Gnocchi?
Nope! There is no need to cook the gnocchi separately. The point of this one-pan recipe is to have the gnocchi cook in the sauce. This not only saves on time but also infuses the gnocchi with even more flavor.
Expert Tips
- Temp the chicken. Use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken thighs are fully cooked and have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) for food safety.
- Add a dash of wine. To make a creamy wine sauce add a little less chicken broth (only ¾ cup) and replace it with white wine (¼ cup).
- Season at the end. Wait until the sauce is complete before adding that last touch of salt. This will help to prevent you from accidentally over-salting the dish.
Leftovers
You can store creamy chicken gnocchi with spinach in the fridge for about 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
To reheat, add a little more chicken broth or water to give it some moisture, and then put it in the microwave for a few minutes. Yet, if it has been frozen you should allow it to thaw out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Other Delicious Recipes To Try
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon
- Marry Me Chicken
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Creamy Potato Sausage Soup
- Creamy Herb Chicken
- Pesto Gnocchi
- Creamy Bacon Chicken
- Chicken Thighs With Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken thighs skinless boneless, about 6
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 4 cups baby spinach roughly chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and pepper.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet or braiser. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onion to the same skillet and cook for 3 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Next, add the sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, sweet paprika and stir well. Cook for another minute then pour in the chicken broth and add the gnocchi. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until gnocchi is cooked through.
- Add the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.
- Stir in the spinach and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the spinach is wilted. Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet and spoon sauce over the thighs.
- Serve immediately with sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.
Tips & Notes:
- Temp the chicken. Use an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure that the chicken thighs are fully cooked and have reached an internal temperature of at least 165°F (74°C) for food safety.
- Add a dash of wine. To make a creamy wine sauce add a little less chicken broth (only ¾ cup) and replace it with white wine (¼ cup).
- Season at the end. Wait until the sauce is complete before adding that last touch of salt. This will help to prevent you from accidentally over-salting the dish.
- You can store creamy chicken gnocchi with spinach in the fridge for about 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- To reheat, add a little more chicken broth or water to give it some moisture, and then put it in the microwave for a few minutes. Yet, if it has been frozen you should allow it to thaw out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
This sounds so yummy! Could this be made into a soup? Would I just add more chicken broth? Would I adjust the seasoning?
You can, here’s my chicken gnocchi soup recipe: https://www.jocooks.com/recipes/chicken-and-gnocchi-dumpling-soup/
Was fantastic!!!!! Thank you for helping a mom with brain fog lol!!!!
Thank yo. Do you have a video of this recipie? I find difficult to find the videos. And it happens that you are reading one recipie and appears a video of a different one. Is confusing
Sorry, no video for this recipe. If there’s a video for a recipe, you will see a link at the top of the post that says jump to video, or the video is usually in the recipe card itself.