Chicken Parmesan Gnocchi (Printable)

A warm dish of shredded chicken and gnocchi topped with melted cheese and crispy breadcrumb topping.

# What You Need:

→ Main Ingredients

01 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
02 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
03 - ½ cup minced onion (1 small onion)
04 - 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
05 - 17.6 ounces gnocchi, fresh or shelf-stable
06 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
07 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
08 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
09 - 24 ounces marinara sauce
10 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

→ Panko Topping

11 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
12 - ¾ cup panko bread crumbs
13 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
14 - ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
15 - 2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil

# How-To:

01 - Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the broiler on low setting.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and onion for approximately 3 minutes until soft and fragrant.
03 - Add gnocchi to the skillet and stir. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden on the surface.
04 - Stir in shredded chicken, marinara sauce, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes to heat through completely.
05 - While the chicken mixture heats, melt butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Add panko, Parmesan, and ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning; stir until well combined.
06 - Remove cover from skillet. Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the gnocchi mixture, then distribute the prepared panko mixture across the top.
07 - Transfer skillet to the oven. Broil for 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly and panko is golden brown.
08 - Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil, and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's a complete dinner that lives in one skillet, which means minimal cleanup when you're too hungry to care.
  • The panko topping adds this unexpected crispy texture that makes people think you fussed way more than you actually did.
  • Rotisserie chicken does all the heavy lifting, so you can spend your energy on getting the cheese bubbly and golden instead.
02 -
  • Fresh or shelf-stable gnocchi changes everything—dried gnocchi become hard little bullets, and that's not the comfort you're after.
  • Don't skip the initial gnocchi toasting; it prevents them from absorbing too much sauce and turning into a gummy mess.
  • Watch the broiler like it owes you money, because panko can go from golden to burnt in about 30 seconds of inattention.
03 -
  • Use an oven-safe skillet you actually love, because this dish deserves to go straight from stovetop to broiler without transferring—it's one of the perks of the whole setup.
  • If your broiler runs hot, move the rack down one position so the topping doesn't char before the cheese fully melts underneath.
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