Baked Chicken and Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Basil
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Chicken thighs, potato gnocchi, crushed canned tomatoes, and goat cheese baked together on one sheet pan, 35 minutes, no cream, and no skillet. I came up with this after a week of traveling, when my kitchen was down to a package of refrigerated gnocchi, a can of good tomatoes, a block of goat cheese, and a handful of basil from the garden. I love that the pantry does most of the work and the oven does the rest.
This dinner recipe riffs on my sheet pan gnocchi with sausage, another one-pan creation that my grown kids have been cooking for their friends — simple enough for a weeknight, impressive enough to serve to company. If chicken is what you’re after, there’s plenty more in my chicken dinner recipes archive.
The ingredients that make this work
- Boneless chicken thighs: The chicken roasts directly on top of the gnocchi, and that’s the point — the fat rendering off the thighs is what caramelizes the edges of the gnocchi. I use boneless thighs, not breasts. Breasts don’t have enough fat to do that job.
- Canned tomatoes: Crushed canned tomatoes (NOT diced) are my pantry tomato because they’re packed in a thick puree, rather than water. Whole canned tomatoes briefly crushed with your hands or a potato masher will also do the trick. I used (and highly recommend) these canned cherry tomatoes. They’re high-quality, ripe Italian tomatoes with a great balance of sweet and tangy. Sun-dried tomatoes stirred in with the canned tomatoes is a good way to amplify their flavor.
- Cheese: I tested this recipe using soft, mild goat cheese because some members of my family don’t do cow’s milk. However, whole milk ricotta is also a wonderful option, as it softens into creamy pockets on the hot chicken and gnocchi. It makes me think of a freeform chicken lasagna.
The sheet pan method, step by step
Toss the chicken with olive oil, garlic, and herbs. Let them marinate if you have time, so the flavors have time to penetrate before baking. 
Layer the gnocchi on a sheet pan, and arrange the seasoned chicken on top — that way the gnocchi soak up the juices that render off the thighs. Pour the tomatoes around the chicken, not over it — you want the skin exposed to the oven heat, not buried in sauce
Flip the chicken at 20 minutes, then crumble the cheese over the top. Five minutes is all it needs to become melty. Sprinkle basil over the pan when comes out of the oven and serve.
Baked Chicken and Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Basil
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¾-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 14-16 ounces refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes, or canned cherry tomatoes
- 6 ounces soft goat cheese, or ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Put the chicken in a large bowl. Add the sliced onion, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, sliced garlic, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and black pepper to taste. Toss the chicken around until it's evenly coated. * At this point, you can cover the seasoned chicken and refrigerate up to 1 day ahead of baking.
- On a 12x15x1-inch rimmed baking sheet, spread out the gnocchi. Nestle the chicken in and around the gnocchi – make sure to scrape out and include all the olive oil and seasonings. Pour the tomatoes around the chicken and gnocchi.
- Bake 20 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over, using a pair of tongs or a spatula. Crumble the cheese evenly over the top. If you're using ricotta, spoon it over in random blobs. Return the pan to the oven and bake 5-7 more minutes, until the pan juices are bubbling and the cheese is very soft.
- Roughly tear the basil leaves and scatter over the chicken. Serve and enjoy!
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- If you can find Mutti brand cherry tomatoes, grab them for this recipe. They are excellent!
- Make sure to use the correct size pan. Anything larger than 13×5 will mean the pan juices will evaporate, and you don’t want to lose that sauce. Typical “jelly roll” pans are a perfect size. If you’re doubling the recipe, use a half-sheet pan (18×13″).
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.
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Easy and delicious!
I couldn’t find refrigerated Gnocchi but the kind on pasta aisle worked fine.
Yum!
Hi Deb! So glad you loved it! Shelf-stable gnocchi works perfectly. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment :))