This One Pot Chicken Florentine Gnocchi is super easy and effortless, perfect for a weeknight meal! We’re talking lick your plate clean. So creamy and delicious and ready on your dinner table in under 30 minutes!
Here’s a dish that I absolutely love and the kind of dish that I love to share with my readers. Quick, one pot, delicious and comforting, this Chicken Florentine Gnocchi will become a new family favorite. This dish is full of pillowy soft gnocchi, a rich creamy sun dried tomato sauce, studded with wilted spinach.
This dish can be made in so many different ways, but my favorite way is with sun dried tomatoes, spinach, gnocchi and lots of cheesy creamy sauce. That’s the version I’m delighted to share with you today! So let’s get into it, I’m sure we’re all drooling already.
What Is Chicken Florentine?
First of all, Florentine in the culinary arts world just basically refers to a dish that is served on a bed of spinach and that is prepared in Florence. That’s it. Chicken Florentine however is more of an American interpretation, so by no means is this recipe authentic!
Ingredients
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Oil – Either olive oil or the reserved oil from your jar of sun dried tomatoes.
- Chicken – Boneless skinless chicken breast cut into small pieces. Chicken thighs can also be substituted.
- Seasoning – Salt and pepper.
- Onion – I used shallot in this recipe but white or yellow onion can be used in it’s place if you’re unable to find any.
- Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
- Sun dried tomatoes – Drained and chopped up, reserve the oil.
- Liquid – Half and half cream and low sodium chicken broth as we want to control our salt in this dish. You can substitute the half and half for any fat cream you prefer.
- Gnocchi – I used store bought as I wanted this dish to be nice and quick.
- Veggies – We’re using fresh spinach today, chopped up. You can also substitute thawed and drained frozen spinach if that’s what you have on hand.
- Cheese – Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese is what we’re using for this One Pot Chicken Florentine Gnocchi for a melty cheesy dish with a nice sharp note.
How To Make One Pot Chicken Florentine Gnocchi
- Brown the chicken: Heat your oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Place your chicken in the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cooked till brown, usually for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Build the Florentine Gnocchi base:Â Add the shallots, garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the half and half cream, chicken broth and stir. Bring to a simmer then stir in the uncooked gnocchi. Cook until gnocchi are tender, and sauce has thickened, should take about 4 to 5 minutes, they should also absorb and thicken the sauce.
- Finish the dish: Add spinach and fold into the mixture until wilted. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the cheeses, cheese should melt almost immediately.
Some Tips
- Reserve the oil from the sun dried tomatoes and use that to brown your chicken, it’ll add so much flavor to your dish!
- Some of my readers like to add crumbled cooked bacon to this dish right around the same time they add the gnocchi so feel free to follow suit!
- This dish is delicious with the addition of mushrooms cooked down in this beautiful sauce if you’d like to bulk up the veggie base of this Chicken Florentine Gnocchi.
- White wine is a nice addition to this sauce! Cut out one cup of chicken broth and substitute it for one cup of dry white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
What Else Can I Serve With Gnocchi?
If you’re completely hooked on this little potato dumpling, I totally get it! They are so quick and easy and should be a staple in any house hold. Whether you’re working with store bought or homemade, these recipes are sure to have you licking your plate clean.
- Sausage Leek Ragu Gnocchi
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Gnocchi
- Chicken And Gnocchi Dumpling Soup
- Garlic And Parsley Butter Chicken With Gnocchi
- One Skillet Ham And Cheese Gnocchi
- Gnocchi With Mushroom Ragu
Leftovers
Fridge
You can store this dish in an air tight shallow container in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Just be sure to allow it to fully cool before placing it in the fridge.
Freezer
You can freeze this dish as well! Just hold off on adding the gnocchi till you’re ready to eat it. Freeze the Chicken Florentine in a shallow airtight container once fully cooled. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge before heating back up on the stove top and incorporating your gnocchi.
Freezing homemade gnocchi
Arrange your gnocchi on a baking tray with some extra flour and freeze for 2 – 3 hours. Once frozen transfer to an airtight container and store till ready to cook, it will last in the freezer for 4 – 6 weeks. Don’t thaw your gnocchi, just add it straight to salted boiling water when ready to eat.
Craving More Italian? Try These Delicious Recipes:
- Italian Roasted Mushrooms And Veggies
- Baked Penne With Italian Sausage
- Italian Wedding Soup
- Meatballs With Marinara Sauce
- Beef Ragu
- One Pot Chicken And Mushroom Tetrazzini
- Chicken Parmesan
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One Pot Chicken Florentine Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil or oil reserved from sun dried tomatoes
- 1 pound chicken breasts skinless and boneless, cut into small pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ¼ cup shallots chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes drained and chopped, keep the oil
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 2 pounds gnocchi
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. (see notes).
- Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper and cook until it starts to brown, should take 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the shallots, garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minuets.
- Add the half and half cream, chicken broth and stir. Bring to a simmer then stir in the uncooked gnocchi. Cook until gnocchi are tender, and sauce has thickened, should take about 4 to 5 minutes, they should also absorb and thicken the sauce.
- Add spinach and fold into the mixture until wilted. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
- Stir in the cheeses, cheese should melt almost immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
- I reserved the oil from the sun dried tomatoes and used that instead of the olive oil for some extra flavor, but olive oil can be used as well.
- Half and half can be found near the milk and cream in the dairy section of your local grocery store. Half and half is a blend of equal parts whole milk and light cream. It averages 10 to 12% of fat.Â
I made this recipe for my family and we all LOVED it! It is very quick and easy to make too! Thanks for sharing Jo!
Glad you liked it!
This recipe was so great! I shared it on Facebook so my friends can enjoy it too. 🙂
This came out brilliantly — everyone yummed it up! Thank you, Jo !!
We’re so glad everyone loved it! 🙂
if one is lactose intolerant, what can I use to substitute half and half cream?
There are so many lactose free options nowadays. Lactose free creamer, you can try an almond cream, or even coconut milk, but that might change the flavor a bit.
This is just fantastic. It was so easy and so delicious. It has just enough ingredients without being too much work. Couldn’t stop eating it. I used a jar of sun dried tomato paste instead of cutting up sun-dried tomatoes. That was the only thing I did differently and it was because I had the jar on hand.
Love this recipe. Not used velveeta before…but will now. I usually add crumbled bacon and top with chopped scallions. So delicious..
Omg I have tried many recipes from your site and I must say am so glad I found you, this chicken florintine was so tasty easy a definite on my week day meals… I’ve also made your hawain cheesecake sooo nice….
I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes! 🙂
Hey Jo!
Excellent recipe and moreover excellent website all together!! I used to cook a similar rigatoni dish at a restaurant with bacon and mushrooms and a white wine tomato concasse topping instead of the sundried and 86 the mozz. Came across this looking for Gnocchi ideas. As you stated well at the top of this page, this recipe has many variations and although not “traditional Italian” we can certainly enjoy the progression of American influence (and our personal preferences) on Italian cooking…
I just made your recipe as closely as possible (with the addition of some crisp bacon crumbles after step 4) and my preliminary taste test is phenomenal. While it’s molting in the pot I’m sending my salute to you (and your IT/taste tester husband) for putting together a great recipe and website!
Love the photography, format, videos, and you can even change the yield on the recipes. Keep up the great work.
Ben
Thanks so much Ben! I’m glad to hear you’re liking the blog and everything it offers. Love to hear that!
Hi dear Jo,
what a lovely recipe! My son, who is so picky, loved the cheesy nature! (-;
I was now able to make some pics and have started to publish them on my Pinterest channel.
Will continue posting once there are some morel
Thank you so very much, I do so enjoy your blog!
They look delicious! So happy you’re enjoying my blog! 🙂
Hello Jo, I just made your recipe for One pot chicken florentine gnocchi, and for dessert, vanilla magic cake. Both dishes were delicious, easy, 5 stars for both.
Yay, so happy you liked them!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE. Crazy delicious and easy to make!! Will repeat like every week!
I’m so happy you like it!
The One Pot Chicken Florentine Gnocchi turned out great. Thanks so much for a great recipe. Everyone should try it.
So happy you enjoyed it!
Would this recipe work in my slow cooker or would the cheese complicate things?
You probably could, but haven’t tried it myself. The cheese is added at the end anyway, so it might be ok.
Sun Dried Tomatoes are my jam. Paired with Gnocchi? Looks so good. I’m excited to try this one out. AND excited that it cooks in thirty minutes. So awesome!
Hope you try it!
OMG!! This looks so good!! I’ve already pinned it and shared on my Facebook page. We’re not home right now but I can’t wait to make it. Oooh, that cheese. xoxo
Thanks Marisa, I’m sure you’ll love it!