Sheet Pan Gnocchi With Chicken And Broccoli Recipe

Really, does it get any better than a sheet pan dinner? On nights when you simply don't have the time or patience to prep and cook, the sheet pan is an unsung hero, but a sheet pan dinner doesn't have to be boring, either. A few sun dried tomatoes and a package of crispy gnocchi can transform plain chicken and broccoli into a delicious meal. Add a few dollops of cream cheese, and you have a faux-fredo, without having to dirty another dish. 

This recipe shared by developer Michelle McGlinn is the perfect marriage of easy roasted chicken, broccoli, and creamy, pillowy gnocchi with sauce. You can skip the cream cheese, or add a little more seasoning, like parsley or red pepper flakes, to make it your own. You can even add more veggies, or swap the broccoli for broccoli rabe for something a little fancy. We are here for a date night sheet pan dinner!

Of course, the first things to grab are gnocchi, chicken, and broccoli. The best gnocchi to use is in the refrigerated pasta section, as it is softer and more fresh, but the shelf-stable kind will work just as well. You can also seek out a certain popular frozen gnocchi, which works especially well on sheet pans, and comes in gluten-free cauliflower versions, too.

For this recipe, we sliced the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes, but feel free to use boneless, skinless thighs or tenderloins instead. We recommend cutting the chicken before roasting, so that the chicken cooks fully in the same amount of time as everything else.

Once you have your fresh or frozen broccoli florets, just grab a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, salt and pepper, olive oil, and cream cheese. These will help build a sauce for the chicken and gnocchi, and extra water will help thin it as needed.

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Using a nonstick sheet pan, or a pan lined with parchment paper, arrange the chicken and gnocchi in a single layer. You don't need to boil the gnocchi first, but if you have the time to, it won't hurt. Especially for doughy, shelf-stable gnocchi, boiling will soften the dumplings, making them crispier and more pillowy once they hit the oven's heat.

Add the broccoli around the chicken and gnocchi, then generously drizzle all over with the olive oil. You don't want the chicken or gnocchi to be too dry, or they won't brown and crisp beautifully while roasting. You also can't have too much, so don't worry if you use a little more than the recommended. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and give the sheet pan a hefty shake to distribute everything evenly.

Roughly chop the sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkle them around the sheet pan, then dollop a few spoonfuls of cream cheese around the chicken and gnocchi. Sun-dried tomatoes come in jars packed with oil, so drizzle some of that oil over the chicken for added flavor. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add any extra seasonings you love here — we like rosemary, thyme, or lemon-garlic salt. Pop the sheet pan in the oven, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, and the gnocchi is crispy, about 20 minutes.

Similar to a recently famous TikTok pasta, the cream cheese melts into the gnocchi, and stirs together to form a sauce. You can add grated Parmesan for extra cheesy flavor, or toss it with a little milk to thin it instead of water. If the cream cheese isn't melting as smoothly as you'd like, just splash water onto the sheet pan until the cream cheese becomes saucier. Toss it all together, coating everything in a thin layer of cheese.

This sheet pan gnocchi with chicken will serve 4 on its own, but if you end up with leftovers, store it in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can reheat it in the microwave, or for best results, toss with extra oil or heavy cream in a skillet until warmed through.