This creamy chicken gnocchi recipe combines soft potato gnocchi, a luxuriously creamy tomato sauce, and delicious fresh vegetables. It is super flavorful, very easy to make, and just perfect for a simple and tasty pasta dinner!
If you love soft gnocchi in a creamy tomato-based sauce, make sure to try this creamy chicken gnocchi recipe! It is one of my go-to recipes for a simple yet delicious pasta dinner.
It is packed with nutritious vegetables and comes with perfectly seasoned and baked chicken breast. Thanks to all the spices and herbs, the sauce is super flavorful and tasty. And the potato gnocchi just goes perfectly with all of the other ingredients.
The best part is that this dish is actually very simple to make. You may need a few more ingredients but it’s totally worth it!
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Ingredients
To make this creamy chicken gnocchi, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Chicken breast: Use regular boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe.
- Chicken seasoning: For the chicken seasoning, you’ll need paprika powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. It may sound like a lot but they are very simple ingredients that can be used for a variety of dishes. And maybe you already have them in your kitchen.
- Potato gnocchi: Use fresh potato gnocchi for this creamy chicken gnocchi recipe. They are usually found in refrigerators at grocery stores.
- Vegetables and aromatics: You’ll need red onion, garlic, eggplant (or zucchini), cherry tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, and baby spinach for this recipe. They are a delicious combination that goes really well with gnocchi!
- Tomato passata: Tomato passata or tomato sauce is used as the base for the pasta sauce. Just use the one you’d usually buy for pasta recipes.
- Heavy cream or cashew Alfredo: To make the sauce creamier and extra delicious, I recommend using homemade cashew Alfredo sauce. It’s super good and makes the sauce taste amazing! But if you don’t have the time or want something more simple, use heavy cream. It also tastes great and can be used for this recipe.
- Seasonings: To season the sauce for the creamy chicken gnocchi, you’ll need paprika powder, red pepper flakes, and dried thyme. Definitely make sure to use these ingredients, they really add to the flavor of this dish!
- Parsley: Please make sure to use fresh parsley! It’s key for making a delicious sauce and it tastes super delicious in the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: You don’t necessarily have to use parmesan cheese to garnish your creamy chicken gnocchi but it’s highly recommended!
How to make creamy chicken gnocchi
Preparing creamy chicken gnocchi is super simple! Just follow these steps.
- Season the chicken breasts: Preheat your oven to 425 °F (220 °C) or your air fryer to 375 °F (190 °C). In the meantime, season the chicken breasts. Whisk together all ingredients for the chicken spice mix. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl, add some oil, add the spice mix and rub it in.
- Bake the chicken breasts: Bake or air fry the chicken breasts for 20 minutes until cooked through. When the chicken breasts are done, cut them into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
- Sauté the vegetables: Next, preheat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic and onion until the onion turns translucent. Add the cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and bell pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are almost tender.
- Add the sauce: Then add the tomato passata, cashew Alfredo sauce/heavy cream, paprika powder, red pepper flakes, dried thyme, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes.
- Cook the gnocchi: While the sauce simmers, cook the gnocchi in boiling water for around 2 minutes. Then transfer the gnocchi to the vegetables and sauce.
- Combine: Now add the baby spinach and chicken breast pieces to the same pan. Toss until combined.
- Garnish and serve: Serve and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Tips & Notes
Although this recipe is super easy, I recommend checking out the following notes to make sure that everything goes smoothly when you try this creamy chicken gnocchi recipe.
- Make the cashew Alfredo sauce if you have 5 more minutes. I really like to use heavy cream. It tastes great and is very easy to use. But the cashew Alfredo sauce is much more flavorful and it only takes a few extra minutes to prepare it. Both options are great for this creamy chicken gnocchi recipe but if you have the extra time, I highly recommend making the cashew Alfredo sauce! I also use it to make vegan penne alla vodka or penne alla vodka with chicken. It’s just pure perfection when combined with tomato passata!
- Chop the vegetables so they cook at the same time. I always leave the cherry tomatoes as they are and cut the eggplant and bell pepper into pieces that have the same size. If you replace any of the vegetables, make sure you chop them in a way that allows them to cook at the same time.
- Don’t toss the vegetables too often so they can brown a little bit. The vegetables taste extra delicious if they get a chance to brown a tiny bit. So just leave them alone and only give them an occasional toss.
- Don’t overcook the gnocchi. Gnocchi overcooks very easily. Fresh gnocchi only needs 1-2 minutes and it is perfect! So make sure to set a timer and don’t cook the gnocchi for too long to make the perfect creamy chicken gnocchi.
Variations
There are different ways to switch up the flavor of this creamy chicken gnocchi recipe. Here are some ideas for you.
- Vegetables and aromatics: Zucchini, asparagus, carrots, and chile peppers are other ingredients that would taste great in this creamy chicken gnocchi recipe! Feel free to use the vegetables you like.
- Herbs: Other dried herbs like basil, oregano, or rosemary taste great in the sauce. You could also use fresh herbs like basil. I always switch things up depending on what I have in the refrigerator and kitchen.
- Protein: Shrimp are another favorite whenever I make pasta dishes (check out this spicy Cajun shrimp pasta if you feel the same way!). You could use this air fryer shrimp recipe to make juicy and tasty shrimp for this recipe. Or just sauté them in the pan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! There are all types of gnocchi available in grocery stores. You could use gluten-free gnocchi that is made with potatoes and a gluten-free type of flour to make this recipe.
This depends on how you like them. I personally don’t like them when they are too tough. Cooking them makes them soft enough while still having some bite. Without cooking them, they won’t be as soft. So if you want them a little bit softer, be sure to cook them separately.
It may be a tiny bit spicy. It’s not supposed to be a spicy dish but the red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper will add a hint of heat. If you don’t like spicy foods, just reduce the amount of red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper you use or skip them entirely (only recommended if you really can't eat spicy foods).
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just reheat them on the stove or in a microwave.
More delicious pasta recipes for dinner
If you love to make pasta dishes for dinner, I recommend checking out the following recipes. They are all part of my dinner rotation as they taste super great and are easy to make.
- Pesto Gnocchi
- Creamy Fettuccine Bolognese
- Cajun Salmon Pasta
- Baked Feta Pasta with Shrimp
- Lemon Chicken Pasta
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi
Equipment
- 1 air fryer (optional)
Ingredients
Chicken Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Pasta Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ red onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ eggplant or zucchini halved and cut into slices
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 yellow bell pepper cut into dices
- 1 ⅔ cup tomato passata
- ⅓ cup heavy cream or vegan Cashew Alfredo sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika powder
- ½ -1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 21 ounces fresh potato gnocchi
- 1 cup baby spinach chopped
- parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 °F (220 °C) or your air fryer to 375 °F (190 °C).
- Place the chicken breasts in a bowl. Whisk together the chicken spice mix. Then add the olive oil and spice mix for the chicken to the same bowl. Toss and rub in the seasoning.
- Bake or air fry the chicken breasts for around 20 minutes until cooked through. When they are done, cut them into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
- Next, preheat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until the onion turns translucent. Add the cherry tomatoes, eggplant, and bell pepper. Sauté until they are almost tender.
- Then add the tomato passata, heavy cream, paprika powder, red pepper flakes, dried thyme, and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and let the sauce simmer.
- Now cook the gnocchi for around 2 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Then transfer the gnocchi to the pan with the vegetables and sauce.
- Add the baby spinach and chicken pieces to the same pan. Toss until combined.
- Garnish with grated parmesan cheese and enjoy!
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