Baked Chicken and Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Basil
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This sheet pan chicken with gnocchi is crazy easy, but it tastes (and smells!) like something from an Italian restaurant. Juicy, seasoned chicken thighs bake along with soft gnocchi, soaking up garlicky tomato juices, with tangy goat cheese melting into it all. Sprinkle with a handful of fresh basil and you have a one-pan dinner that’s equal parts comforting, rustic, and downright delicious.
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, because it’s so simple, yet kind of impressive to pull off. (If chicken is your go-to, you’ll find plenty more doable ideas in my chicken dinner recipes archive).
The backstory? We recently came home from a week of traveling, which meant my kitchen was pitifully low on provisions. I used refrigerated gnocchi and a package of chicken thighs as my starting point.
The rest just came together from there. A can of my favorite tomatoes from the pantry, a block of goat cheese hiding in the fridge, and a handful of basil leaves from my herb garden turned into something that felt like a casual trattoria-style dinner, even though I barely had to think about it.
Karen’s ingredient notes
- Boneless chicken: One of the huge pleasures of baking gnocchi with chicken is how the pan juices from the chicken and tomatoes meld together to make a sauce. That’s why I urge you to use boneless chicken thighs, not breasts, for this recipe. They simply have more fat and flavor than chicken breasts.
- Canned tomatoes: Crushed canned tomatoes (NOT diced) are my go-to 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.
- Cheese: I tested this recipe multiple times 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.
Recipe overview
Season the chicken with a generous mixture of olive oil, onion, garlic and herbs. 
Arrange the chicken pieces on a rimmed sheet pan with the gnocchi. Pour canned tomatoes evenly around the pan.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, then flip the chicken and add the cheese. Bake about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle fresh basil over the top 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
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! 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 :))