Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake

Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake is a dreamy, creamy one-pan wonder that brings together pillowy gnocchi, tender chicken, and a luscious pesto cream sauce, all topped with gloriously melted cheese.

Love More Dinner Recipes? Try My One Pot Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie or this Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Creamy, cheesy, and full of vibrant basil flavor, this Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake is cozy comfort in every bite. Tender gnocchi and juicy chicken are tossed in rich pesto sauce, then baked until golden and bubbling. It’s an easy, flavorful dish that feels both hearty and fresh.

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Ingredient List

For the Dish:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped (I love sweet onions for this!)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc – please don’t use cooking wine)
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 1/4 cup pesto (use one you really love!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 pound potato gnocchi
• 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (from a block, not the shaker!)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• Salt & pepper to taste

Why These Ingredients Work

Butter and Onions: These create the flavor foundation. The butter adds richness while the onions caramelize slightly, bringing a natural sweetness that balances the savory elements.

White Wine: This isn’t just fancy – the acidity brightens the entire dish and keeps the cream sauce from feeling too heavy. It also deglazes the pan, picking up all those beautiful browned bits.

Heavy Cream: This is NON-NEGOTIABLE, friends! The cream needs to withstand high heat without breaking, and lower-fat alternatives will curdle. The cream creates that luxurious, velvety sauce that coats every piece of gnocchi.

Pesto: The star of the show! It infuses the entire dish with fresh basil, garlic, and that distinctive pesto flavor. Quality matters here – use a pesto you’d happily eat with a spoon.

Gnocchi: These little potato pillows cook right in the sauce, releasing starch that naturally thickens everything. No pre-cooking required!

Two Cheeses: Parmesan adds sharp, nutty depth while mozzarella brings that gorgeous melty, stretchy goodness we all crave.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large oven-safe skillet (like cast iron or stainless steel with an oven-safe handle)
• Wooden spoon or spatula
• Grater for fresh parmesan
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Sharp knife for chopping

Don’t have an oven-safe skillet? No worries! Just transfer everything to a 9×13-inch baking dish before adding the cheese and popping it in the oven.

How To Make Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake

Step 1: Preheat Your Oven

Set your oven to 375°F and move the rack to the top third of the oven. This positioning helps the cheese get beautifully golden and bubbly!

Step 2: Sauté the Aromatics

Melt the butter in your deep oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it softens and starts to get those lovely light brown edges. Your kitchen is going to smell AMAZING right about now.

Step 3: Add the Wine and Garlic

Stir in the minced garlic and let it cook for just 30 seconds until fragrant (don’t let it burn!). Then pour in that gorgeous white wine and let it bubble away for about 30 seconds. You’ll hear that satisfying sizzle – that’s the sound of flavor being created!

Step 4: Create the Creamy Pesto Sauce

Pour in the heavy cream, then add the pesto and Italian seasoning. Stir everything together until it’s smooth and well combined. The sauce will be a beautiful light green color and smell absolutely heavenly.

Step 5: Add the Gnocchi and Chicken

Stir in the gnocchi and cooked chicken, making sure everything is well coated in that gorgeous sauce. Let it heat through for 1-2 minutes, but keep an eye on it – you don’t want the sauce to get too thick at this stage. If it starts looking tight, add a splash more cream to loosen it up.

Step 6: Top With All That Cheese

Remove the skillet from the heat (this is important – we don’t want the cheese to get greasy!). Sprinkle the freshly grated parmesan evenly over the top, then cover everything with the shredded mozzarella. Don’t be shy – we want full coverage!

Step 7: Bake Until Bubbly

Pop that beautiful skillet into your preheated oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. The cheese should be melted and starting to brown around the edges. Want it extra golden? Turn on the broiler for the last 1-2 minutes, but watch it like a hawk – broilers are fast and furious!

Step 8: Rest and Garnish

Let the dish rest for 5 minutes (I know it’s hard to wait, but this helps everything set up). Sprinkle with fresh parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.

You Must Know

The gnocchi WILL cook in the oven – I know it seems weird not to boil them first, but trust the process! They’ll cook perfectly in the sauce and actually help thicken it as they release their starches.

Use quality pesto you actually enjoy eating – This isn’t the time to use that sad jar that’s been sitting in your fridge for six months. The pesto is a main flavor, so make sure it’s one you love! I often use Costco’s refrigerated pesto or make my own when I have fresh basil.

Freshly grated parmesan is worth it – Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting smoothly. Take 30 seconds to grate it yourself from a block, and you’ll taste the difference.

Personal Secret: I always taste my pesto before adding it to the sauce. Some brands are saltier than others, which helps me decide how much additional salt to add later. This small step prevents over-salting!

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Don’t overcook the garlic – It should be fragrant but not browned. Burned garlic tastes bitter and will affect the whole dish.

Keep your heat at medium – Too high and your cream might break; too low and nothing will caramelize properly.

Use a rotisserie chicken – This is a huge time-saver! Just shred or chop the meat and you’re good to go. Leftover grilled chicken works beautifully too.

Check your skillet handle – Make sure it’s truly oven-safe (no rubber or plastic parts) before it goes in the oven. I learned this the hard way once… let’s just say my smoke alarm got a workout!

The wine matters – Use something you’d actually drink. “Cooking wine” from the grocery store is loaded with sodium and tastes terrible. A decent, inexpensive bottle of white wine will work perfectly.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto: Swap the basil pesto for sun-dried tomato pesto for a deeper, slightly sweeter flavor profile.

Add Veggies: Stir in fresh spinach, halved cherry tomatoes, or sautéed mushrooms with the chicken for extra nutrition and color.

Make it Spicy: Add red pepper flakes or use a spicy arrabbiata pesto for some heat.

Different Proteins: Turkey, shrimp, or even Italian sausage would be delicious in place of chicken.

Herb Swap: Try adding fresh basil or thyme on top instead of parsley for a different herby note.

Make-Ahead Options

Prep the Components: You can sauté the onions and garlic and make the sauce up to 2 days ahead. Store in the refrigerator and reheat gently before adding gnocchi and chicken.

Almost-Assembled: Prepare everything through step 5 (before adding cheese), then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, top with cheese and add 5 minutes to the baking time since it’s starting cold.

Freezing: I don’t recommend freezing this dish as gnocchi can get mushy and the cream sauce may separate when thawed.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The sauce will thicken as it sits, which is totally normal! The gnocchi continues to absorb liquid even after cooking. If you have leftovers that seem dry when reheating, just add a splash of cream or milk to bring back that creamy consistency.

If your sauce looks a little thin before baking, don’t panic! Remember, the gnocchi will release starch as it cooks, which naturally thickens everything up.

This recipe easily doubles if you’re feeding a crowd – just use a larger baking dish or two skillets.

Serving Suggestions

This Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake is pretty much a complete meal on its own, but I love serving it with:

• A crisp green salad with a tangy vinaigrette (the acidity cuts through the richness beautifully)
• Warm, crusty bread or garlic bread for soaking up every last bit of that incredible sauce
• Roasted asparagus or green beans on the side
• A glass of the same white wine you used in the dish!

For presentation, I like to serve this family-style right in the skillet – it looks rustic and impressive, plus there’s one less dish to wash!

How to Store Your Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake

Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The gnocchi will continue to absorb the sauce, so it’ll be less saucy over time.

Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave with a splash of cream or milk to restore moisture. For larger portions, reheat covered in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes. You can also reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring gently and adding a bit of cream to loosen.

Freezing: Not recommended – the texture of both the gnocchi and cream sauce don’t hold up well to freezing and thawing.

Allergy Information

Contains:

• Dairy (butter, cream, cheese)
• Gluten (traditional gnocchi is made with wheat flour)
• Tree nuts (pesto typically contains pine nuts)

Substitutions:

• Dairy-Free: This one’s tough to make dairy-free while maintaining the same richness, but you could try coconut cream and dairy-free cheese alternatives. Just know the flavor will be quite different!
• Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free gnocchi (many brands make excellent GF versions)
• Nut-Free: Look for nut-free pesto (some brands use seeds instead of pine nuts) or make your own with pumpkin seeds

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use shelf-stable gnocchi instead of refrigerated?

Absolutely! Both work perfectly in this recipe. Refrigerated gnocchi is a bit more tender, but shelf-stable is great too and has a slightly firmer bite.

My sauce looks broken or curdled – what happened?

This usually means the heat was too high or the cream was lower-fat than heavy cream. Heavy cream has enough fat to withstand higher heat without breaking. If this happens, try whisking vigorously or blending a small amount to re-emulsify.

The cheese on top isn’t browning – help!

Your broiler is your friend! Just switch it on for the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, but don’t walk away – broilers work FAST and can go from golden to burned in seconds.

Can I add vegetables to this?

Of course! Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, or zucchini would all be delicious. If using something with high water content like zucchini, sauté it first to remove excess moisture.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below! I’d love to hear how your Pesto Chicken Gnocchi Bake turned out! Did you add any special touches? What did you serve it with?