Everyone... hold your horses - if you've never made my Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake, it's about to be the new favorite thing on What's Gaby Cooking!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
Let me preface this by saying... I'm not even sure how we can go up from here. This Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake is just THAT good.
It's a ground chicken mixture that's flavored the same way you would season a chicken parmesan. Add to that some perfectly boiled gnocchi (which are like little pillows of heaven) on top and finish it off tons of cheese and herbs because obviously love a burrata moment, and that's about it. It's magical to say the least and I am 20000% confident that you're going to love it. Also it's perfection when served with my cucumber salad - just saying!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Plain Gnocchi
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper freshly cracked
- Ground Chicken
- Marinara Sauce
- Red Pepper Flakes
- Mozzarella shredded
- Parmesan shredded
- Burrata
- Fresh Basil or Oregano garnish
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions; drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.
Step 2: Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the ground chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
Step 4: Add the gnocchi, reserved cooking liquid, marinara sauce and red pepper flakes to the skillet with the chicken mixture and stir to combine.
Step 5: Add the parmesan and stir.
Step 6: Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake on the top oven rack until hot and bubbling and the cheese turns golden, about 15 minutes.
Step 7: Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the burrata on top. And season with salt and pepper as needed. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
How to Store Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake
You can store leftovers for this in the fridge for 3-4 days. When its time to eat, the best move would be to warm it in the oven till its warmed through and the cheese melty again. If you have some extra marinara on hand, you can use it if it dries up from the re-heating.
How to Freeze Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake
It is better to assemble this and freeze, skipping the baking step, if you want to keep it on hand for a quick meal in the freezer. You can then bake it straight from the freezer (increase baking time) or thawed in the fridge and then baked. Remember to portion it into meal-sized portions per your requirement so you do not have to thaw it all to use.
Tips & Tricks
Feel free to get fancy and use spinach gnocchi. It will make a great visual on the plate.
FAQs
Can I make this vegetarian?
Certainly! Just skip the chicken. You can also add veggies of your choice- mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, zucchini are all great!!
Why did my gnocchi bake dry out?
Do not over-bake this dish, as it can dry it out. Since all the components in this chicken parm gnocchi bake are already cooked, we are baking it to further warm it together, let all the flavors marry and, most importantly, the cheese melt. And so, you should not need to bake it for very long.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi Bake
Ingredients
- 12 ounces plain gnocchi
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 2 cups store-bought marinara sauce
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- 1 ball fresh burrata
- Sprigs fresh basil or oregano for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions; drain, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large nonstick cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the gnocchi, reserved cooking liquid, marinara sauce and red pepper flakes to the skillet with the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Add the parmesan and stir.
- Sprinkle with the mozzarella. Bake on the top oven rack until hot and bubbling and the cheese turns golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Add the burrata on top. And season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
Gaby, in the video you said to put it in the oven at 425° but the recipe says 475°. Which is it?
425
Is there a particular brand of gnocchi that you like? I’d like to make it this week but find some gnocchi to be very heavy and doughy. Thanks!
Are you in LA? my fav is from this local italian deli called Bay Cities!! I also like the one from trader joes
Could you do this without the chicken if feeding vegetarians??
absolutely
Made this for Sunday family dinner night. I doubled it but should have tripled it. Was a big hit. Picky eaters came for third servings.
Another fantastically simple and delicious recipe!
This came together so quickly and everyone ate it! It was comforting and hearty.
This looks delicious! Would the recipe work in a baking dish or ovenproof skillet as well? Or does it need to be a cast iron skillet?
any baking dish will work!! xx
Thank you so much for the recipe. My whole family loved it!
Is this freezer friendly or best served right away?
you could freeze it!
I made this and gave it to my two 14-month olds - they could NOT get enough! New recipe to add into our rotation for sure! 🙂
Can this be made ahead and then baked at dinner time?
yes!
Gabby, your food is wonderful! Easy recipes but such great food. We made your curry chicken a couple of nights ago which was to die for and made this one tonight. Even the kids dug it and they're super picky. Thanks so much for sharing!
How do you think the Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi would be in this?
Haven't tried it but probably!
Where do you get your fresh gnocchi?
I just get it from Bay Cities which is an italian deli in LA
Gaby! Where is this cheese grater from? I NEED IT IN MY LIFE !