Comforting Chicken & Gnocchi Dumplings

Think chicken pot pie but naked (no pie crust). Or chicken and dumplings without the bready dumplings and replaced with cute little gnocchi dumplings. Somewhere between those two dishes is where this cozy comfort food chicken recipe resides.

Whatever you want to call it, this meal made it into my daughter's list of Top 3 favorite dinner recipes. She even stuck a Post-it note on my computer demanding I publish the recipe on Pass Me Some Tasty so it could forever be enshrined in the Fediverse.

So this one's for you kid. And everyone else that loves tasty food.

🌟 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

You'll love this recipe because my 11-year-old says so. She has strong opinions, particularly about what she eats. Kind of like her mom.

But I love this dinner winner because...

• It's luscious, cozy, and pretty much a warm dinner hug for your food soul.
• One-pot dinner recipe = less dish washing to do post-dinner = win
• Less than 30 minutes to make from start to finish. Everyone who struggles with hanger can appreciate that.
• Simple, wholesome ingredients.
• It's home-cooked comfort food that's quick and easy to make any night of the week.

Let's cook.

• Chicken breasts: Butterfly the chicken breasts for a quick, even broil in the oven. Shredded rotisserie chicken or chicken thighs would work well also.
• Gluten-free gnocchi: Use store-bought gluten-free gnocchi made with potato and rice flour (or regular gnocchi if you are not gluten intolerant or celiac). I recommend avoiding gnocchi that include corn flour in the ingredients because of the difference in flavor and texture (corny gnocchi are not tasty in my opinion). However, cauliflower gnocchi, ricotta gnocchi, or pumpkin gnocchi could be a tasty substitute!
• Gluten-free flour: I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
• Chicken stock: Homemade or store-bought chicken stock or broth. The better the quality, the better your meal will taste.

For a full list of ingredients and quantities see the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1: Preheat the oven broiler to high (500°F). Rub butterflied chicken breast on each side with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in an oven-safe baking dish (or on a sheet pan) and position the baking dish on an oven rack 4 inches below the heating element. Broil the chicken breasts for 3 minutes on each side (depending on how thick the chicken is and how hot your broiler is). An instant-read thermometer when inserted into the chicken reaches 165°F.

Step 2: Using two forks, shred the chicken and set aside. An easier way to shred the chicken (but requires more cleanup) is to place the chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, turn it on, and watch it shred the chicken in a jiffy (<- I just aged myself with that word).

Step 3: Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot or braiser. Add the carrots, onions, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.

Step 4: Sprinkle the vegetables with gluten-free all-purpose flour, then cook, stirring, about 2 minutes to allow the flour to cook out its raw taste.

Step 5: Add the tomato paste to the vegetable mixture. Then gradually add the chicken stock to the mixture while stirring to break up any lumps and incorporate the tomato paste. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

Step 6: Once the vegetable mixture reaches a boil, stir in the gnocchi and frozen peas, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the gnocchi are tender (about 5 minutes).

Step 7: Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. We're starting to get excited now.

Step 8: Stir in the shredded chicken along with a big squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the gnocchi mixture. Top with chopped parsley and allow all of the hustle and bustle of life to slowly fade away as you immerse yourself in this tasty dish of creamy comfort and glee.

👩‍🍳 Recipe Tips!

• Gnocchi brands: Unless you have a favorite brand of gluten-free that you swear by, please, please, please don't use gnocchi in this recipe that contains corn flour. Corn gnocchi does not taste like traditional Italian gnocchi and will be an injustice to your tastebuds and this recipe. (#strongopinions) For a corn-free gluten-free gnocchi option, I recommend Delallo gluten-free gnocchi. (this is not a sponsored shoutout, just pure love)
• Gnocchi package sizing: Gnocchi is sold in different weighted packaging. I used a 16 oz. package for this recipe. If you use a different size package you may need to adjust the amount of broth and cream (or just roll with what you have and enjoy).
• Leftovers: This recipe is still dreamy when reheated for leftovers. The sauce may thicken up a bit after being refrigerated so add a little splash of chicken stock to loosen up and thin the sauce if needed.

Fam friendly. Quickly pulls together. Comforting.

There should be no question about what you're making for dinner tonight. At least there's not for a particular 11-year-old. ♡