Creamy Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken (Printable Version)

Pan-crisped gnocchi in creamy pesto sauce with tender chicken—an easy, flavorful Italian comfort dish ready in 35 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 14 oz), cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
03 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Gnocchi

05 - 18 oz store-bought potato gnocchi

→ Sauce

06 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 cup heavy cream
09 - 1/2 cup basil pesto
10 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
11 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

12 - Fresh basil leaves
13 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese

# How To Make:

01 - Season chicken cubes with kosher salt and black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, add butter. Once melted, add gnocchi and sauté for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp on the outside.
04 - Add minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to deglaze the pan.
06 - Stir in pesto and Parmesan cheese, mixing until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
07 - Return cooked chicken to the skillet and toss everything to coat evenly in the sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
08 - Serve hot, garnished with fresh basil and extra Parmesan cheese.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • The pan-crisped gnocchi creates this incredible contrast pillowy inside, almost fried outside
  • Everything happens in one skillet so you get maximum flavor with minimum cleanup
  • The pesto cream sauce is rich enough for a treat but balanced enough that you dont feel weighed down
02 -
  • Crowding the pan when searing chicken will steam it instead of browning it, so work in batches if your skillet is smaller
  • The gnocchi will continue softening once the sauce hits it, so get them crispier than you think you need to
  • If the sauce seems too thick, the pasta will release starch as it sits, so hold back on adding more liquid until serving time
03 -
  • Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes after cooking so it stays juicy when you add it back to the sauce
  • If your pesto is thick, thin it with a tablespoon of pasta water before adding it to the cream
  • Extra Parmesan at the table lets everyone adjust the saltiness to their taste
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