Easy Chicken Gnocchi Recipe with Pesto (2024)

Pasta

This easy chicken gnocchi recipe features gnocchi coated in a smooth pesto cream sauce and then baked until bubbly!

This meal is a game-changing meal!

Greek mother’s love it when their kids eat. For as long as I can remember, my mom has pushed food on me and anyone else who adorns her dining room table. You ask her for one scoop of pasta, she gives you two. You ask for one piece of chicken, she gives you three.

I believe her reasoning behind this is two-fold. One, she believes all people should have “a little meat on their bones” and two, I don’t think she wants to mess with leftovers.

As my family was leaving her house after our Easter feast, my mom came running up to me with an arm full of food. She pressed into me two containers of meat (lamb and ham, probably 3 lbs of each) and three containers of ice cream.

Mom clearly decided my family needed more protein and more calcium. The kids cheered, I cringed and we all walked away.

What Is Chicken Gnocchi?

This dish is total comfort food! Furthermore, it is an eight ingredient dish that relies mostly on pantry staples which makes this a great recipe for times when you cannot get to the grocery store!

Just like this Skillet Chicken Lasagna and this Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, this recipe is creamy, cheesy, and satisfying!

What Do I Need For Chicken And Gnocchi?

• 1 24 oz bag frozen gnocchi
• Butter
• Flour
• 2Milk
• Cream cheese
• Shredded mozzarella
• Grated Parmesan
• Diced or Shredded Chicken
• Jarred pesto

How To Make Chicken Gnocchi

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions.
3. Place butter in a saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted, whisk in flour and stir until combined.
4. Slowly whisk in milk until the mixture is smooth. Continue to heat milk on medium-low heat until the mixture begins to thicken.
5. Stir in cream cheese until fully incorporated.
6. Stir in mozzarella and Parmesan until smooth and creamy.
7. Add gnocchi and chicken to the cheese mixture.
8. Stir in pesto. Place gnocchi mixture in a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake gnocchi for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

Chicken Gnocchi Substitutions

• Ravioli, tortellini, or dried pasta can be used for the potato gnocchi

• This recipe does require quite a bit of milk. Half and half and heavy cream can be used for all or part of the milk called for in this recipe. In a pinch, you could use part chicken broth or evaporated milk.

• I was able to use a rotisserie chicken for this recipe. But leftover chicken, cubed cooked chicken, frozen chicken (breaded or grilled) can also be used for this recipe. However, the chicken can be omitted entirely for a meatless option.

• Any type of cream cheese can be used, even Greek yogurt cream cheese. You can also use mascarpone cheese.

• This recipe is best when consumed the same day. Unfortunately, it does not freeze well.

More Comfort Food Recipes

Baked Spaghetti Lasagna Casserole

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Tuna Noodle Casserole