Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi

Name: Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1.5 lbs. boneless (skinless chicken thighs); 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1.5 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 1/2 medium white onion (minced); 5 cloves garlic (smashed and minced); 4 cups chopped kale (packed); 1/3 cups sun-dried tomatoes (with liquid); 1.5 cups chicken broth; 3 tablespoons heavy cream; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 16- oz. potato gnocchi (uncooked); 1/2 cup shredded parmesan (+ more for topping)

30 gf

By Emily Richter

4.95 from 39 votes

Published 2/7/2021

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This Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi is a one pot meal you’re absolutely going to love! Delicious tuscan flavors, and ready to eat in 35 minutes. Enjoy!

creamy tuscan chicken and gnocchi in a cast iron skillet

We Love One Pot Meals!

There is something so deeply satisfying about cooking something super delicious and only using ONE dish. This creamy tuscan chicken and gnocchi is just that! You prepare the chicken and veggies in a skillet on the stovetop, and then combine everything together and bake to perfection in the oven — in the same skillet.

And just like that, your one pot delicious dinner is served!

Why Make This Chicken and Gnocchi?

There are so many delicious chicken + gnocchi recipes on the internet, but we’re here to tell you YOU NEED THIS RECIPE IN YOUR TUMMY! Here’s why:

Flavor: the flavor of this dish is on point. We used a combination of chicken broth, spices, garlic, butter, sun-dried tomatoes, and a dash of heavy cream in the sauce to get that ultra savory flavor.

One-Pot: there truly is nothing better than not having to clean a million pots and pans after you cook dinner. Clean one pot and done with this recipe!

Leftovers: If you are serving 1 or 2 people, you’re going to get multiple meals out of this creamy chicken and gnocchi.

Balanced Meal: Protein + Veggies + starch = perfect balanced meal for any night.

Ingredients – What You Need

Chicken

For this recipe, we used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but if you’re hoping to use bone-in thighs or boneless breasts, we have some recommendations on how to do so below!

Seasonings & Sauce

Salt & pepper
Olive oil
Butter
Chicken broth
Heavy cream
Italian seasoning
Shredded parmesan

Veggies

White onion
Garlic cloves
Chopped kale
Sun-dried tomatoes
Potato gnocchi

boneless skinless chicken thighs being seared in a cast iron skillet

Chicken Thighs vs. Chicken Breasts

CHICKEN THIGHS –> We used boneless chicken thighs in this recipe because chicken thighs tend to have a bit more fat in them compared to chicken breasts. We wanted this dish to be rich and savory. Chicken thighs helped us accomplish that goal.

If you only have bone-in thighs, they will absolutely work for this recipe as well! Just know your cook time will be more than with boneless thighs in order to reach an internal temperature of 165°F.

CHICKEN BREASTS –> If you only have chicken breasts on hand, feel free to use ’em! Just make sure if your breasts are larger than boneless thighs that you are cooking to an internal temperature of 165°F, which may increase the cook time a bit.

chicken thigh size matters!

Chicken thighs can vary greatly in size and thickness. The goal is to get the internal temperature of the chicken to be 165ºF. So, if you have larger thighs, you may need to cook a bit longer to reach a safe temperature.

Do I Need a Cast Iron Skillet?

Because you’d placing this entire recipe into the oven to bake, you’ll need an oven safe vessel to do so! We love making this recipe in our cast iron skillet because it allows for searing and sautéing on the stovetop, and then using that same skillet to go directly into the oven. One pot meal!

Don’t have a cast iron skillet? We recommend a dutch oven that is safe for both the stove top and the oven.

Don’t have a dutch oven? Do your searing and sautéing in a frying pan and then transfer everything into a casserole dish for the baking portion.

sauteed veggies in a cast iron skillet for creamy tuscan chicken and gnocchi

How to Make Creamy Tuscan Chicken and Gnocchi

So, how do you make this creamy tuscan chicken and gnocchi? It’s SO easy! Remember, scroll all the way down to our recipe card for the full ingredients + instructions.

Step by Step

Preheat & Prep

First, preheat the oven to 375ºF, and season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Sear Chicken Thighs

Heat olive oil in a deep cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, sear the chicken thighs on both sides for 2 minutes to brown. Then, remove the chicken thighs from the skillet and set aside.

Sauté Veggies

Add butter to the skillet and melt over medium/high heat. Once melted, sauté the onion and garlic for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.

Add chopped kale and cook for 2 minutes. It will appear to be a TON of kale, but will quickly cook down! Then, add in chicken broth and heavy cream and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes or until the kale is wilted.

Add Gnocchi & Seared Thighs

Add Italian seasoning, uncooked gnocchi (that’s right, you don’t have to precook the gnocchi because it will cook in the sauce while in the oven!), and shredded parmesan cheese, and mix everything together. Then, submerge the chicken thighs in the sauce and veggies.