One-Pan Creamy Chicken And Gnocchi

Chicken

• 1.3 lb chicken thighs skinless boneless
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Mushrooms

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 oz mushrooms crimini
• salt and pepper

Gnocchi

• 16 oz potato gnocchi
• ½ cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 5 oz fresh spinach
• salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste

Instructions

• Cook the chicken:

Season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, chili powder, salt, freshly ground black pepper.

Heat an empty high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat through.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. This allows the chicken to sear.

Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it’s cooked through.

The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

• Cook the mushrooms:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the same, now empty, skillet. Cook sliced mushrooms (seasoned with salt and pepper) in 1 tablespoon of olive oil on high heat for about 1 or 2 minutes, until lightly browned and softened.

Remove cooked mushrooms from the skillet.

• Make creamy sauce:

To the same, now empty, skillet add uncooked potato gnocchi, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika.

Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir everything well. Cover with lid, and allow the gnocchi to cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.

Add fresh spinach, and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes until the spinach wilts to your liking. Cook longer if you would like a thicker sauce.

• Assembly:

Stir in half of cooked mushrooms.

Season with salt, freshly ground coarse black pepper, and red pepper flakes, if you like.

Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Top with the remaining half of cooked mushrooms

Tips

Use a high-sided, heavy-bottomed cooking pan such as a cast-iron skillet or a good-quality stainless steel pan. This will help avoid the burn spots and will ensure even cooking without food getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Do not overcrowd the pan when cooking the chicken. Creating space between the chicken thighs will allow the chicken to sear nicely instead of steaming. Use a large enough pan to accommodate all of your chicken or work in batches. The cast-iron pan works the best!

Change up the greens. This is a perfect recipe to use spinach, kale, or arugula!

Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container only for up to 2 days.

FQAs

1. What is gnocchi?

Gnocchi originated in Italy and is basically dumplings made of small lumps of dough. The gnocchi dough is usually made by combining wheat flour, potatoes, eggs, and seasonings.  Technically, gnocchi is not pasta (since they are made as dumplings), however, gnocchi is often categorized as pasta.

2. Can you make it gluten-free?

Yes! There is gluten-free gnocchi available online or in some grocery stores. Just make sure to check the label.

3. What kind of gnocchi to use?

I used store-bought, shelf-stable potato gnocchi, a Delallo brand, made with 85% potatoes. They are delicious and have an amazing texture! You can also use refrigerated kind.

4. Do you need to precook the gnocchi?

No, you don’t! It takes only about 5 minutes of boiling gnocchi on medium-high heat to cook them! Just add the uncooked gnocchi directly to the creamy sauce. As you cook the gnocchi in the sauce, the starch from the gnocchi is released which helps to thicken the sauce. The longer you cook the gnocchi, the thicker the sauce.

5. What type of chicken to use with gnocchi?

Skinless and boneless chicken thighs. That’s what I used in this quick recipe – the dark meat of chicken thighs is juicy and tender and is usually quite forgiving to cook. Since chicken breasts tend to dry out faster, so be sure to watch your cooking times closely, ensuring that the chicken is cooked all the way through quickly, without drying out.

Chicken tenders are also a perfect choice for this recipe. Make sure to avoid overcooking as chicken tenders cook fast.

I do not recommend using bone-in, skin-on chicken as it takes much longer to cook them. Also, not everyone will like the skin on the chicken.

6. How to reheat in the microwave oven?

Reheat the refrigerated chicken gnocchi in a microwave oven for about 30 seconds. Stir, taste, and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed.  Reheat in 30 seconds increments until it’s completely warmed through. Add a small amount of heavy cream, milk, or water, to thin out the sauce.

7. How to reheat on the stovetop.

Reheat the leftovers in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat. When using this method, add a small amount of heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk to thin out the sauce when reheating. Do not use high heat when reheating.

8. What to serve with it?

Chicken and gnocchi is a meal on its own that doesn’t really need any side dishes. But if you want add-ons, here are some ideas:

Bread. What can be better than dipping a warm slice of bread into the creamy sauce? Serve this recipe with warm Italian bread or olive bread. Or, make your own perfectly non-dense loaf of bread in a bread machine.

Salad. Since chicken gnocchi is a rich and creamy dish, it’s only appropriate to add a salad to it. Serve this with a simple spinach salad or arugula salad with pine nuts. Or, make a strawberry spinach salad or tomato cucumber avocado salad.