Pasta
$1.92per plate
Prep
10 min
Chicken · Chicken Gnocchi
Chicken Gnocchi
This is a creamy chicken and gnocchi skillet, the whole dinner made in one pan in about half an hour. Bite-size chicken gets golden, the potato gnocchi cook right in the skillet until tender, and everything simmers in a garlicky Parmesan cream sauce with a couple of handfuls of spinach folded in. It is saucy and rich but still a skillet dinner, not the brothy chicken gnocchi soup people also love, and it skips the sun-dried tomatoes so it stays its own thing. Think of it as the protein-and-greens version of our meatless creamy gnocchi, and the gnocchi cousin of our chicken alfredo. It joins the rest of our cheap chicken recipes, price up front.
$2.27per plate
Estimated recipe total
$9.07 · serves 4
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/chicken-gnocchi-recipe
Equipment
- Large skillet
Variations
- Stir in cooked bacon or sausage for a heartier dinner.
- Swap the spinach for chopped kale, added a couple minutes earlier.
- Finish with a squeeze of lemon for brightness against the cream.
1 How to make it
1
Brown the chicken
Pat the chicken pieces dry and season with the salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil with 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high until shimmering, then add the chicken in a single layer and leave it undisturbed for a couple of minutes so it browns instead of steaming. Toss and cook just until golden and cooked through to 165 F, about 5 to 6 minutes. Crowding the pan or stirring too soon steams the chicken and dries it out.
2
Take the chicken out
Move the chicken to a plate. Pulling it before you build the sauce keeps it juicy; if it sits and simmers the whole time it turns rubbery. It goes back in at the very end just to warm through.
3
Brown the gnocchi, no boiling
Add the rest of the butter to the pan and tip in the gnocchi. Shelf-stable and refrigerated potato gnocchi do not need to be boiled first here; cooking them straight in the skillet, undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes to get golden, gives crisp-tender pillows. Boiling them first and then adding them is what leaves them waterlogged and gummy.
4
Garlic and broth
Push the gnocchi to the side, add the garlic to the pan, and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour in the chicken broth and scrape up the browned bits from the chicken and gnocchi, which is where a lot of the flavor is.
5
Build the cream sauce without splitting
Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream, keeping it at a gentle simmer, never a hard boil, because boiling is what makes a cream sauce break or turn grainy. Off the heat, stir in the finely grated Parmesan a handful at a time until smooth; finely grated cheese melts evenly, while coarse or pre-shredded Parmesan clumps and turns the sauce grainy.
6
Wilt the spinach
Stir in the spinach and let it wilt down for a minute or two. The broth loosens the sauce and the Parmesan thickens it, so add a splash more broth if needed until it is glossy and coats the gnocchi, not soupy and not gluey.
7
Return the chicken and serve
Fold the chicken and any juices back in and simmer gently for a minute or two just to warm it through. Taste for salt and pepper and serve right away while it is silky. It thickens as it sits, so loosen leftovers with a splash of broth.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Chicken thighs for breast. Boneless skinless thighs are usually cheaper and stay juicier. Cut them into bite-size pieces the same way; they may need a minute or two longer to reach 165 F.
- Milk or half-and-half for the heavy cream. For a lighter, cheaper sauce, use half-and-half, or whole milk with a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch. Keep it below a boil so it does not break.
- Kale for spinach. Chopped kale works in place of spinach; add it a couple of minutes earlier since it takes a little longer to soften.
- Add sausage, bacon, mushrooms, or broccoli (figured separately). Browned sausage or bacon, sauteed mushrooms, or a handful of broccoli make it heartier. These are add-ins figured separately and not in the base cost.
3 Budget tips
- Bite-size chicken breast and one package of gnocchi make a protein-rich one-pan dinner for four without a pile of ingredients.
- A from-scratch cream sauce of butter, cream, and Parmesan costs less than a jar and tastes richer.
- Buy a block of Parmesan and grate it yourself; it is cheaper per ounce than pre-grated and melts smoother.
- A couple of handfuls of spinach and a splash of broth stretch the dish and keep it from getting heavy, for pennies.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The gnocchi keep soaking up the sauce, so plan to loosen it when you reheat.
Freezer
Cream sauces can separate when frozen and gnocchi soften, so this is best made fresh. If needed, freeze in portions for up to 1 month and stir well as it reheats.
Reheating
Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave at half power, stirring in a splash of broth or milk to loosen the sauce. High heat makes gnocchi gluey and the sauce greasy, so go low and slow.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
560
Protein
26g
Fat
27g
Carbs
47g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Is chicken gnocchi a soup?
Not this one. This is a creamy chicken gnocchi skillet, a saucy one-pan dinner, not the brothy Olive Garden-style chicken gnocchi soup. The sauce coats the gnocchi and chicken rather than filling a bowl with broth.
How do I keep the chicken juicy and the gnocchi from turning gummy?
Brown the chicken fast over medium-high heat, then pull it out so it does not overcook while the sauce simmers. For the gnocchi, do not boil them first; cook them straight in the skillet and give them room so they brown and stay tender instead of gummy.
How do I keep the cream sauce from splitting?
Keep the heat low and never let the cream boil, and stir in finely grated Parmesan off the heat a little at a time. Boiling and coarse, pre-shredded cheese are what make the sauce split or turn grainy. Loosen it with a splash of broth rather than turning up the heat.
How is $2.27 a plate figured?
About $9.07 for the whole skillet, four servings, so roughly $2.27 each. The chicken, gnocchi, and cream are the biggest costs. Optional sausage, bacon, or mushrooms would add to that and are figured separately.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
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