Sun Dried Tomato Chicken and Gnocchi
Tender, juicy chicken thighs in an AMAZING garlicky sun dried tomato cream sauce. So simple, so good.
My kind of comfort meal. Wine, soft-pillowy gnocchi, juicy chicken thighs, and a light, garlicky sun dried tomato cream sauce with all the crusty bread to sop up that goodness. What more could you need?
It’s a fancy meal without ever leaving your house. Yes, wearing sweatpants/leggings/yoga pants is a must for this meal. We want to be extra comfy while devouring this like nobody’s business.
Now you guys know I LOVE the cauliflower gnocchi from Whole Foods but you can use any gnocchi of your choice or make it homemade. It is ALL GOOD. There’s only winning here.
CAN I USE CHICKEN BREASTS?
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
WHAT IS HALF AND HALF?
Half and half is equal parts of whole milk and cream. For 1 cup half and half, you can substitute 3/4 cup whole milk + 1/4 cup heavy cream or 2/3 cup skim or low-fat milk + 1/3 cup heavy cream.
Sun Dried Tomato Chicken and Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package cauliflower potato gnocchi
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes halves
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry white wine*
- ½ cup half and half
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, about 2 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook gnocchi according to package instructions; drain well.
- Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and thyme, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in chicken broth and wine, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in half and half until thickened, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in gnocchi and kale until the kale has wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Return chicken to the skillet; sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Place into oven and bake until bubbly, about 10-12 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Can I use bone in thighs? Also, I don’t have any cauliflower gnocchi, only potato. Will that work?
What is “half and half”?!
Absolutely loved this better than I thought. Made it as the recipe said
This recipe was absolutely amazing! Like wow!!! The whole family loved it! I’m from Australia and we don’t have half and half here so I literally just used half cream and half milk and it was absolutely delicious
This recipe was up there with one of the best!!!!!!
I follow a new recipe exactly the first time and then make changes if necessary the next time. First of all the sauce is delicious! I think i would use spinach next time as the kale seemed too rough. Spinach always cooks beautifully. Also would try with chicken breadts. I like the idea of adding a little red pepper flakes too as some of you suggested. Definitely going into my meal rotation!
Do you think it would turn out okay if I used yogart instead of half n half (cutting back on fat for heart healthy recipe)?
All recipes look yummy!
This recipe is really great! I modified by using frozen spinach that i thawed and squeezed to drain, and also threw in some braised broccoli that I had in the fridge. Additionally, I added a healthy teaspoon of gochujung along with the tomato paste because I really like the spice and kick it lends to creamy dishes. Turned out really great!! Thank you!
This is a five star recipe, I did not have the cauliflower gnocchi but did have a semolina gnocchi which worked fine. I live in Newfoundland, Look forward to trying it with the cauliflower gnocchi if I can find in our stores
So delicious and easy. I love that it’s made in one pan. Recipe is good for 3-4 people. I will add a
Pinch of red pepper flakes next time to add some spice. I will definitely make this again!
Very yummy and easy to make! I followed the recipe exactly but used chicken stock instead of wine. I would add a pinch of red pepper flakes next time to add to the flavour. So delicious! I will definitely make it again!
Made this last night, I used spinach instead of kale because it’s what I had. Chicken breasts instead of thighs because it’s what I had. I did cut them thinner so it would be more like cooking with thighs. I also seared the chicken and cooked it most of the way through but didn’t finish cooking it knowing I was putting it in a 400 degree oven for 12 min. The sauce was truly delightful. I saw that someone on faceboook found it bland and added other spices. I strongly recommend you pay attention to the salt you are putting in. Gnocchi is going to require you use more salt than you think you need. You can add the whole spice cabinet but if you don’t get the salt right everything tastes poorly seasoned. I was planning on adding more spices as well but wanted to see what the base flavors were like before I messed with it and it was great. The whole family loved it. I’ve been told I need to add this into semi regular rotation.
This was so delicious! Truly restaurant quality!
I read notes & didn’t cook gnocchi in advance, just put in before putting in oven. I used herbs de provence & some red pepper flakes. Spinach instead of Kale. It is the cauliflower gnocchi that blew me away. Use Racconoto brand. Imported & organic & shelf stable!!!! We will be making this for many years to come!!!
Fantastic recipe! I always follow the recipe exactly the first time I make it- more of a spinach than kale person, other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing. It not only tasted great, the presentation made me feel ( and look) like I know how to cook! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
It is damn delicious. I will be making this regularly!!!
Has anyone tried substituting chicken breasts instead of thighs? We’ve tried but just can’t do thighs in our family.
Another Great comfort recipe for the winter months. Used Gluten Free gnocchi since I have not been able to find the cauliflower gnocchi and GF AP Flour (Cup4Cup). Also used spinach instead of kale. Wonderful one dish complete meal.
My family loves this meal! We’re not big fans of gnocchi though, so I roasted some baby gold potatoes and subbed those for the gnocchi. It was so good!
Super delicious, especially with homemade gnocchi. Thanks for sharing.
This was absolutely delicious! I substituted the Gnocchi with Spiral Pasta and it worked just fine. A great meal to serve when you want to make something ahead of time and with just one skillet. I did set the chicken aside to have plenty of room to stir and make the sauce. Then added the chicken back in and placed it
in the oven to complete the process. We’ll make this for years to come YUM!
I rate this as DELICIOUS 5*, relatively easy to prepare too, with the assist of my hubby.
I precooked the chicken thighs an hour before making the dish and added them last to the sauce, then in to the oven.
** I also had 2 changes I made; Herbs de Provence instead of thyme, and spinach for the kale…DAMN DELICIOUS indeed, a keeper for any occasion, or to impress guests, like you were slaving away at the stove a long time, when you weren’t .
Really delicious recipe. I love it yummy!!! It’s really awesome
I plan to leave this
recipe in my cookbook
for future use. Before
I can bake it I will
need all
the ingredients
Any Suggestions as to
What type of wine
to use?
Another great recipe! I didn’t precook the gnocchi. I tossed it in the pan with the kale and let it cook for two minutes.
This is a keeper. We will definitely make again.
This is my first time ever feeling compelled to leave a rating on a recipe. This was sooooo tasty. My boyfriend rated it a 10 out of 10 and said it was restaurant-worthy. Looking forward to making it again. Added some red chili pepper flakes but I do that with most things! PS – love your corgis!
This recipe was fantastic! Even though I misread the amount of tomato paste, 1 can vs 1 tablespoon. (Yikes) I added more liquid to thin it out a bit and added a second package of gnocchi to help offset the extra sauce.
This was delicious! I ate it straight off the stove top because I didn’t want to bother with the oven, and I guesstimated most of the measurements. It still turned out wonderfully. I was surprised at how good it was. Can’t wait to make it again!
Can this be made the day before please.
Versatile and tasty! I had to substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth, but otherwise followed the recipe. Convenient way to prepare the Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi…It would also be nice with fresh basil (along with the thyme) over pasta.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us.
This is an amazing recipe that I should not miss! Looks very delicious and I bet my family can’t resist this!Ive tried the best souvlaki lemme see if this one is worth changing!
Fabulous recipe! Thanks!!!
Made double recipe tonight. One for me and hubs, and one for some dear elderly relatives. One small change—used half the kale recommended (are kale bunches smaller in NY than NC?)
It was so good I licked the pan.
The flavor is so great and the recipe is really easy! But I did find it a bit more runny than I’d like and the Gnocchi ended up over cooking. I think next time I’ll skip cooking the gnocchi ahead of time and cook it right in the sauce to help soak some up!
The moment I saw this recipe come across my Facebook newsfeed, I knew that I had to make it…and I did! My boyfriend and I loved it so much that we made plans with our family to come over that weekend to try it. I made a fresh batch, and served it with the no knead rosemary garlic bread, and it was a big hit! Everyone complimented me on it and asked how to make it, so I printed up copies of this recipe and handed one to everyone as they walked out the door. This recipe served 6 people and we even had left overs the next day. It totally tastes like an expensive meal that you would get at a fancy, Italian restaurant. The only problem is how long it took me to make it. It took two hours, from start to finish, both times I made this recipe, so if you’re going to make it, just be aware that while it’s easy to make, it’s also time consuming, but its totally worth it!
This recipe is SO good! My picky 7 and 4 year old daughters both ate it happily and loved it! I’ll definitely be making this one again! I made it exactly as stated, except I used baby gold potatoes instead of gnocchi. Delicious!
What can you use in lieu of wine? Thank you!
Chicken broth should be ok!
“1/2 cup half and half” what do you mean by this in the ingredients list? please respond asap as making this tonight 🙂
Hi! Half and half is half whole milk and half heavy cream. Most grocery stores sell it and lots of people like it in coffee! It mostly helps to make the sauce thicker and gives some flavor! Hope this helps 🙂
Delicious!! My family loved it and it was super easy to make! I also made bread to dip in the sauce and it was amazing!! 10/10 recommend!
I’m always looking for new recipes for chicken thighs and this was a “keeper”. We loved it! I used traditional, potato gnocchi, boneless & skinless thighs, & baby spinach instead of kale. Delicious! Sauce was too thick so added more stock after I took it out of the over. Otherwise it was perfect & the best part is we have a whole other meal leftover.
Delicious! Made it with regular potato gnocchi because that’s all I could find and added some red pepper flakes at the end because we like a little heat. Otherwise made as written. My husband and two toddlers loved it. Major win!
Tasty and surprisingly easy to make! Perfect for a weeknight because it’s not a dish that you have to babysit on the stove every step of the way. I generally use wine in recipes as directed, but I realized too late I didn’t have any. Even with 1/4 cup extra chicken broth it was good. I’m sure wine will add a little extra flavor. Next time, I think I’ll only boil the gnocchi for a minute because my was a little soft by the time I boiled and then it cooked in the sauce. I was impressed how the sauce stayed on the lighter even though it did have some cream. Will definitely make again and make sure I have everything I need 🙂
How did you keep the sauce so light? Did you cook the chicken in a separate skillet?
I used one cast iron skillet, and it was already so hot with fat from chicken bits that it got the shallots too hot, too fast. From there, the sauce came out so dark. Any suggestions?
Phenomenal!!!
I’m having trouble finding the bagged sun dried tomatoes. Would the ones in oil work? I would drain them and blot them dry.
WOW! This dish is amazing! It’s definitely going into my list of ‘favourites’ for sure! One question I had: the recipe calls for fresh thyme, but in the photos it looks like there is rosemary. I used thyme and it tasted great, but just wondering if switching it up would also work?
Can’t wait to make this one again! Absolutely loved it.
Wowe! What a dish! Entertained some friends and made this for dinner. It was an overwhelming WOW from the group. So very delish! FYI – I had chicken breast on hand so I used that instead of chicken thighs and was super careful to not overcook the chicken breast. It came out perfect! Great job on this and all Damn Delicious recipes!
Hi, sundried tomatoes — in oil, or just dried? Thanks.
WOW this is SO good. I never cook with wine unless it’s for lamb or other strong flavor meat. I am so glad I tried this, I’ve made your recipes many times so I trusted it would be good and it completely surpassed my expectations. I did have to use some things I had on hand, potato gnocchi and red wine I had in the house for Easter but everything else was the same. I will absolutely make this again.
Just been saved to my favourite recipes file! Didn’t have gnocchi so made it with rigatoni pasta and IT WAS AMAZING…. can’t wait to try it now with the gnocchi.
I’d like to know this too! Couldn’t find the dried ones in the bag, only the ones with oil and making this recipe tonight. I’ll rinse them and dry, but I’m worried flavours might be off…
Yum, yum, extra yum. Just made this for dinner for ht first time and it certainly won’t be the last. What a fabulous sauce. I’d be happy with that all by itself. I used rainbow chard because that’s what I had. Fabulous meal and so easy. Nice to have something new for the rotation.
This recipe is amazing! I used Andouille sausage in place of the chicken & added fresh harvested morrel mushrooms. We used crusty French bread to dip in the sauce; the best!
Looks delicious; can i substitute fresh spinach for the kale?
Yes, absolutely!
How can I modify this to use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Chicken breasts may require additional cooking time depending on the size of the breasts. Hope that helps, Karen!
This looks absolutely delicious and can’t wait to try it (the SUN DRIED TOMATO CHICKEN AND GNOCCHI). A question about what to cook it in. The recipe says a skillet (12″?), but the photo looks like a dutch oven was used. Any clarification greatly appreciated. Thanks.
We recommend using a large skillet or large braiser (as pictured here).
The mushrooms and cauliflower dish was fantastic. A great side and so fast and easy.