Creamy Chicken Gnocchi

Creamy chicken gnocchi with cream cheese is the stuff dinner dreams are made of. This ultimate comfort food is ready in just 20 minutes for the easiest ever midweek treat.

This one-pan creamy chicken gnocchi with cream cheese is the very definition of comfort food. Pillowy gnocchi are paired with golden bits of chicken and smothered in a creamy sauce that will leave you wanting for more.

I do love a gnocchi sauce with cream, but this time I chose the healthier version. Instead of making the sauce with heavy cream, I used cream cheese. Trust me, the result is beyond delicious.

As with any of my other gnocchi recipes, you can use either fresh gnocchi or the long-life shelf ones you can typically find in the pasta aisle in supermarkets.

I made this recipe with the gnocchi from Garofalo, as I always seem to have a pack of them in the pantry.

What do you need to make creamy chicken gnocchi?

Besides your favourite gnocchi, you also need the following ingredients to make this chicken and gnocchi recipe:

Olive oil and butter — A mix of quality extra virgin olive oil and unsalted butter is perfect for crisping those chicken pieces.

You can use just one of these if you want, but when you combine them, you get a mixture that has butter flavour but allows you to sear the meat at higher temperatures than you could by using just butter.

Chicken breast — Dice the chicken breast into 1-inch pieces so they cook quickly. I like my chicken on the golden-brown side in recipes like this, but feel free to cook them exactly as much as you like.

Cream cheese — It wouldn’t be cream cheese gnocchi without some Philadelphia. I’m in the UK and plain full-fat Philadelphia is what I use for this type of sauce.

Use any kind of cream cheese you want, but don’t opt for a light version. While you may be reducing the number of calories, the sauce won’t be nearly as creamy.

Plus, you may find that low-fat cream cheese splits when you add it to the sauce.

Italian seasoning mix — This is a blend of herbs such as oregano, basil thyme, rosemary and marjoram and it’s a very quick way to infuse flavour into your cream sauce.

You can substitute it with ½ teaspoon of oregano and ½ teaspoon of dried basil instead.

Baby spinach — This is optional, but I like how it adds a bit of colour to the creamy gnocchi. You can substitute it with kale.

Parmesan — Freshly grated Parmesan is always the best choice for this type of sauce. You can also sprinkle some Parmesan on individual bowls before serving.

How to make chicken gnocchi?

Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan and then melt the butter in it. When the butter has completely melted and is foaming, add the diced chicken breast and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until golden.

Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for another minute until fragrant.

Add the white wine and cook for 1-2 minutes until the alcohol mostly evaporates. Stir in the Italian seasoning and stock. Bring to a simmer.

When the stock is bubbling gently, stir in the cream cheese. Break it down with your spoon and stir continuously until you get a smooth, creamy sauce.

Add the gnocchi and baby spinach, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Turn off the heat and stir in the grated Parmesan. Season with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe tips and notes

• If you don’t want to cook with alcohol, you can use the same quantity of chicken stock instead of dry white wine.
• Transform this chicken gnocchi recipe into a gnocchi bake by placing the pan into the oven and baking for 10-12 minutes until bubbly.
• Have some more chicken stock ready so you can add a bit to the sauce if it looks too thick after you add the gnocchi to the pan.
• You can make this recipe with frozen gnocchi, but you’ll need to up the cooking time to 10 minutes.
• If you want to have a drink with your creamy chicken gnocchi, a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc will do nicely.

FAQ

If you liked this creamy chicken gnocchi, you might also like some of my other easy midweek meals:

• Easy Barley Soup with Vegetables
• Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
• Creamy Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup
• Easy Thai Red Fish Curry
• Penne al Baffo (Ham Pasta with Cream Sauce)
• Creamy Vegetarian Tortellini Soup

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