This one pot creamy pumpkin gnocchi with sage chicken is loaded with garlic, fresh herbs, spinach and potato gnocchi. All soaking up that creamy pumpkin sauce, making this an easy winning weekday dish!
There is nothing like a cozy luscious meal to cuddle up with on a cool autumn day and this dish definitely is one you want to curl up with! It’s creamy and rich in flavours with a pumpkin sauce loaded with garlic, herbs, spinach and Parmesan cheese.
We all crave something that is creamy every now and then and when we do, we don’t want to be standing over the stove for hours. Love this one pot meal when everything is cooked in the same skillet. Each ingredient adds it’s own unique flavour and it all absorbs into one big YUMMY meal!!
WHY GNOCCHI?
Gnocchi is an Italian dumpling made with a wheat flour, egg, mashed potatoes and salt. Sometimes, fine herbs or cheese are added to the dough.
Gnocchi is an excellent dumpling to add to a cream sauce and it was a perfect choice for this recipe. When added to the skillet it created a creamy sauce which meant I didn’t need to add any starch or flour to the sauce to thicken it.
INGREDIENTS FOR THIS RECIPE
- Chicken breasts: select boneless and skinless chicken breast for this recipe or chicken thighs are always an option. When shopping I prefer hormone and antibiotic free chicken or organic
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Unsalted butter: adds a rich golden colour to the chicken breasts
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chicken broth: or vegetable broth can be substituted
- Pumpkin puree
- Heavy cream: or half and half cream would work well
- Gnocchi: I chose potato gnocchi but there are other options, ricotta, cauliflower etc
- Parmesan cheese
- Seasonings: salt and pepper
- Herbs: sage, basil and thyme
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken cutlets and cook for about 4-5 minutes, then flip chicken over and add sage. Cook for another 4 minutes until chicken and sage become crispy. Transfer to a plate and cover.
Reduce heat to medium temperature, add onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute. Whisk in chicken broth, pumpkin puree, basil and thyme. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.
Stir in cream, spinach and gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes, tossing gnocchi until coated.
Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and a few sage leaves.
COOKING TIPS
When cooking gnocchi, keep in mind that this potato dumpling doesn’t need a lot of time to cook. Refer to the instructions on the package but in reality, it only takes 3-4 minutes. If you cook it longer then that, you end up with a mushy texture and the gnocchi will absorb all the sauce.
Cook the chicken at least 4-5 minutes on each side, long enough for the chicken to reach 165˚F (74˚C).
When storing this chicken gnocchi dish, make sure you place it in a container with a sealed lid. Reheat it slowly on the stove and I would suggest to cut the chicken into slices and add a little broth or cream. This dish can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
One Pot Creamy Chicken Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage
Equipment
- large skillet or pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, sliced in half
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 sage leaves
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 2/3 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2.5 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 16 oz (500g) potato gnocchi
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- fresh basil, sliced
Instructions
- Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Heat olive oil and melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken cutlets and cook for about 4-5 minutes, then flip chicken over and add sage. Cook for another 4 minutes until chicken and sage become crispy. Transfer to a plate and cover.
- Reduce heat to medium temperature, add onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute. Whisk in chicken broth, pumpkin puree, basil and thyme. Simmer for about 5 minutes until it starts to thicken.
- Stir in cream, spinach and gnocchi. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 3-4 minutes, tossing gnocchi until coated.
- Remove from heat and add Parmesan cheese, fresh basil and a few sage leaves.
