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.
I made this as directed. I also added a little bit of dried oregano with the meat. Lastly, I added a few handfuls of chopped fresh baby spinach. Really delicious and easy to throw together!
Excellent! Easy to make. I seasoned the chicken with Gaby’s Everyday. It’s just the best! Husband raved about it. Thanks for the recipe!!
So tasty and super easy to make! Holds up well as leftovers reheating in the microwave. Will definitely be putting this recipe in the dinner rotation.
This was absolutely delicious and so fast to make. Will be making it again very soon. Thank you, Gaby!
This was my first WGC recipe, and it was AMAZING! My family loved it. So much flavor..
Question: has anyone made this with ground beef? My thought is that using a pound + of ground beef, draining the rendered fat, the proceeding with the rest of the recipe might be more suited for my beef eaters! Thanks.
I used fresh gnocchi but I think shelf stable might have been better. The gnocchi dissolved to a mashed potato consistency.
fresh is DELISH but it def falls apart easier! I do shelf stable for this recipe
Can this be made ahead of time and refrigerated prior to baking?
yes!
Absolutely delicious! We might try it with a different type of pasta to lighten it up as my husband thought this dish was a little too heavy (but he still loved it). I'd also recommend a larger braiser for the dish than the 2.25 qt. At one point I thought it was going to overflow. Was absolutely delicious as leftovers too. Can't wait to make it again.
What veggie side would you recommend with this? Making it this weekend!
I'd do my roasted broccolini recipe!
This was quick and easy to put together for a fantastic dinner! I used "fresh" Gnocchi because that's what I could find in store; so no extra boiling (extra step) needed. I added 1/4 cup water instead of the reserved cooking liquid. Besides that change, I kept to recipe without substitutions. This will be a repeat recipe. Delicious!
This was very tasty and easy to make. I used ground spicy italian chicken sausage which added a bit more flavor than just plain ground chicken. I would definitely make this again!
This recipe is a staple in our house!! I sub with TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi to make it gluten free and it’s incredible!
Made this last night…yes please!
I am ready to make this dish for the third time in three weeks! Sooooo tasty!