Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken
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The fragrance of sweet, fresh basil immediately fills the house when you start making homemade pesto for my Pesto Gnocchi.
The homemade pesto gently coats each pillowy, dumpling-like potato pasta and snugs up to moist and tender chicken breasts swimming in a light and creamy pesto filled sauce.
This pesto pasta, sheet pan pesto salmon, and tortellini skewers with pesto are a few other reader favorite pesto recipes!
I am always looking for a meal that you just want to snuggle up to. My Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken definitely answers the call for cozy and comforting food but also feels light and refreshing at the same time.
The great thing about this recipe is that it is never out-of-season. It’s great year round, and works for any dinner whether is is a casual weeknight dinner, or sitting down for an elegant meal with friends. Pick a night this week, and treat yourself to comfort with my Pesto Gnocchi.
Reasons Why You Will Love My Pesto Gnocchi
- It makes a beautiful presentation on your table!
- Easy 40 minute weeknight meal.
- So flavorful and it pairs well with a chilled bottle of Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio
- It’s a complete meal, no need for additional sides
- No need to pre-boil the gnocchi, it cooks right in the sauce!
Ingredient Notes
For the ingredient measurements and entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Pesto: I have a really delicious pesto recipe in the recipe card below. OR you can buy your favorite store-bought pesto to streamline this recipe.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts work well here since we’re slicing in half and pounding until 1-inch thick.
- Heavy cream: The heavy cream helps make this a delectable meal. I haven’t made it using half and half or any other substitutions.
- Chicken broth: a little chicken broth is used to deglaze the pan after the chicken browns and some for the sauce is necessary as well.
- Cherry tomatoes: the cherry tomatoes pop and blister and compliment the pesto and chicken perfectly.
- Gnocchi: Light and airy potato gnocchi paired with pesto…is there anything better?! Okay maybe this Creamy Gnocchi but I’d happily take both!
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half, and pound until 1/2-inch thick.
- Coat chicken in flour mixture.
- Brown chicken on each side.
- Cook onions and tomatoes until tomatoes are blistered.
- Add broth and heavy cream, bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the pesto and gnocchi.
- Add the chicken back in and bake 10 minutes.
- Slice chicken, serve with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, more pesto, etc.
Expert Tips and Variations
- To save time, prep the pesto the day before! Or if you are short on time, you can always use store bought pesto. If you make the pesto in advance, drizzle olive oil over the top of the pesto to keep it fresh, then wrap in an air tight container and store in the refrigerator.
- Don’t skip pounding the chicken. It not only gives you a thinner serving, but it helps tenderize the chicken too. You also might find chicken cutlets at the store, and you shouldn’t have to pound those, so you will save some prep time.
- For a more veggie packed meal you can add mushrooms, spinach, or small broccoli florettes. Just add the spinach when you add the chicken back into the dish.
- To add a little pit of heat to the Pesto Gnocchi sprinkle red pepper flakes into the pesto.
- Gnocchi cooks quicker than pasta so there is no need to worry if it is done once you add it to the chicken put it into the over for the last 10 minutes of cook time.
Other Ways to Enjoy Pesto:
FAQ
Can I substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breasts?
Yes you can. Just remember to pound the chicken to tenderize it , to make it thinner. You probably won’t have to slice the thighs in half, unless they seem thick!
Do I have to deglaze the pan?
I recommend it. Deglazing is important to get those bits of food off of the bottom of your pan and added to the sauce to make it even more flavorful.
Is there a substitute for Gnocchi?
I love the gnocchi in this recipe because you don’t have to pre-boil the gnocchi. I personally haven’t tested this, but you can always try ravioli or mini-tortellini. You do not need to pre-boil these pastas but you may need to extend the baking time.
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Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 2 large bunches fresh basil (~2-3 cups, stems discarded)
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 heaping cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
For the chicken gnocchi
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half and pounded to about 1-inch thick pieces
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- pinch of pepper
- 1/2 white onion, diced small
- 10 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 16 oz. package gnocchi
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Make the pesto: (You can also use store-bought pesto if preferred ?) In a food processor, blend all ingredients for the pesto, except the olive oil, together until smooth. Then, slowly stream in the olive oil. Add more olive oil if needed to get desired consistency and adjust any seasonings to your preference. Set aside.2 large bunches fresh basil (~2-3 cups, stems discarded), 1/3 cup pine nuts, 1/3 heaping cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste, black pepper, to taste, 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- Slice chicken in half. Place chicken on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer tool until 1/2-inch thick.2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half and pounded to about 1-inch thick pieces
- Combine the flour and seasonings in a shallow bowl and coat the chicken in flour mixture all over.2 1/2 Tbsp. flour, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of pepper
- Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium high heat in a large oven safe skillet. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken and cook ~3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate.2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- Deglaze the pan with a small splash chicken broth to pick up any browned bits and add the remaining tablespoon olive oil.
- Over medium heat, cook the onions and cherry tomatoes until the tomatoes begin to pop and blister, about 6-7 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir occasionally so the onions don't burn.1/2 white onion, diced small, 10 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes
- Add the broth and heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and ½ cup of the pesto. Nestle the chicken back into pan. Spoon a bit of the sauce over the chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 10-12 min or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.2/3 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup chicken broth, 16 oz. package gnocchi
- Slice the chicken then return to the pan. Spoon more sauce over the tops of chicken, garnish with black pepper, fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Serve with remaining pesto or save leftover pesto for another use. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Refrigerate leftovers for up to 2-3 days in an air-tight container.
- Reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments, adding more cream as needed to thin out the sauce. Or on the stovetop until warmed through.
- Serve with bread or a side salad.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
I’ve made this 2x this week! We very much enjoyed it but I made one change the 2nd time: I add the chicken back to the pan, cover with sauce, then add our frozen gnocchi to the top, and try to gently spoon sauce over the top. If you mix the gnocchi first then the sliced chicken, the little pillows stuck underneath and get smushed. They are better on top lightly coated so the outside gets a nice crisp texture. IMHO!
That’s smart!! thank you so much 🙂
Well, I kind of messed-up the recipe. I need to make a copy instead of hack and forth on my phone.
But the good thing is that it turned out delicious!
It looked close to yours, and my wife really enjoyed it.
I made this tonight to a family who would never order pesto pasta in a restaurant. Got a tick of approval big time! My husband said to put this in a regular recipe, which is a big positive as he’s the pickiest in the family. I added broccolini for some veges and crunch. The chicken needs more salt I feel probably after pounding them. Other than that, it’s so yummy. Thank you!
This was so yum! The only thing I added was a few chopped sun-dried tomatoes (based on other reviews) in addition to the fresh tomatoes. We used store-made gnocchi (from HEB if you live in Texas – it was really good). I’m making it again tonight, and I’ll probably put the chicken in the air fryer since we just got that, while the onions and tomatoes cook on the stove at the same time. Hoping that will cut down just a smidge on total cook time. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Using store bought pesto made this recipe so quick and easy. We absolutely loved it! A perfect weeknight meal.
Love this recipe!! My daughter makes her own pesto without nuts. All fresh ingredients from our garden. And we add whole leaf baby spinach(not in pesto) and sundried tomatoes. With garlic bread.
I am so glad! thank you soo much April for the review and for leaving a photo 🙂 yum!
Made this tonight, it was so delicious l! My family loved it too, there were hardly any leftovers. I added more seasoning than what was in the recipe because it wasn’t enough for my taste. Anyway the recipe was perfect. I’m bookmarking it for another day
This was delish!! We loved it. I added spinach too.
ooo spinach is a great addition. thank you so much Kerry!
This looks amazing. I think I will make it this week but maybe with sun dried tomatoes instead.
My wife hates sun dried tomatoes, and
I love them!
Maybe I missed it, but how much store bought pesto? I have some Costco pesto in my freezer begging for this dish!
At least 1/3 cup, adding more as needed to get the perfect taste and consistency you like! 🙂