If a big old bowl of comfort food is what you are looking for then you have landed at the right place! This delicious creamy gnocchi recipe is so easy to make and filled with chicken, corn, onions and a sensational sauce made from cream & mustard!
sponsored by Purple Hands Wines, Barossa
Why I Love This Recipe
- comfort food at it's finest
- quick to make (using shop bought gnocchi)
- tastes mighty fine
- family favourite
- fancy enough for a dinner party
I'm all about making food that my family can enjoy but with a few simple changes, it can be elevated to a Saturday night date night dinner! This creamy gnocchi recipe is one that will impress everyone from the 4-year-old to the 40-year-old. The kids will love it - let's face it what kid doesn't love starchy meals? Using everyday ingredients you can create a delicious tasting meal in under 30 minutes.
A Little Bit About Gnocchi
Gnocchi is an Italian dish. You often see it on the menu under pasta but in fact, it's not actually pasta at all! Gnocchi is more common in Northern Italy where the cooler climate isn't as good for growing grain so potatoes were aplenty. They say gnocchi dates back to the 1st century AD where Marcus Gavius Apicius is said to have invented Gnocchi Alla Romana which is gnocchi fried with honey and black pepper.
These pillow-like dumplings are one of my favourite things to eat and work really well with rich and/or creamy sauces. In Italy, gnocchi is mainly served as a first course after the antipasto and before the meat/vegetable course but we typically eat it as a main course!
Ingredients Needed
Nothing out of the ordinary here - you can pick up all the ingredients for this creamy gnocchi recipe in any grocery store. Our life in Australia is a little different as our families are in Ireland so the days of just heading out and calling upon Gran to look after the kid never really happened for us. With that being said, I try to elevate our home-cooked meals as we don't get out as we used to (said EVERY parent ever!).
Keeping exhaustion levels, a mortgage to pay and a 5-year-old to feed it also needs to be something I don't need to travel far and wide to get. The ingredients I used to make this chicken gnocchi recipe were all purchased in my local supermarket
- Gnocchi - potatoes, egg, flour & salt (or you can use shop bought)
- Cream - double cream as it needs to get up to simmering temperature and low fat can often split
- Corn - I used fresh corn on the cob as we have loads of it in QLD but frozen will work just fine too
- Chicken - thighs are the way to go here imo. They are a little more forgiving if you cook them longer
- Onion - red onion in the dish and spring onion to garnish would be my choice
- Mustard - wholegrain is best here - has a nice texture and isn't as strong as Dijon or American
- Other - garlic, oil & salt (what's a meal without these guys!)
Making Homemade Gnocchi
I only got into making gnocchi recently and have really enjoyed it. Pasta & gnocchi are great things to make with the kids. They can get their hands dirty (full of flour) and at the end of it, they get to eat what they make. It's a great learning experience as well as fun family time too. Sure, does it really matter if each gnocchi isn't 100% perfect? The only thing I would say is try to keep them similarly sized though so that when you make this creamy gnocchi recipe each piece is cooked properly!
- Wash & prick the potatoes - this is so they aren't FILTHY and so they don't explode when cooking!
- Microwave them for 15-20 minutes (size dependant) or until fork tender
- Allow to cool enough to handle and peel them
- Mash them using a potato ricer so there are no lumps
- In a bowl or on a clean surface add egg and salt and combine gently
- Add flour, 1 cup at a time and bring together until firm but dlightly sticky
- Divide into 4 pieces and roll them into logs about 3/4" thick
- Using a sharp knife cut gnocchi pieces into 3/4-1" pieces
- Job done - unless you wanna be fancy and use a gnocchi board or fork to add the little indentations. It takes a little longer but it helps the creamy sauce coat the gnocchi beautifully
TOP TIP - don't overwork your gnocchi too much. The more you stir, knead or poke it the more starch you will release giving you gummy gnocchi
Tips, Tricks & FAQ's
The best tip or "trick" I can offer you is to read the recipe. Read it from start to finish before you cook it. After that is organisation. This means a clean kitchen, getting your utensils ready and having your ingredients laid out. It may seem boring and a bit military-like but do this the first time you make any recipe and you have a greater percentage of nailing it and understanding it better so it'll be quicker and easier on round #2
Of course - in fact, a lot of shop-bought gnocchi is of excellent quality! I like Guzzi Pasta here in Australia
Yep. Gnocchi is best used within about 2 hours of making it. Store in the kitchen covered gently with a towel before use. Alternatively, you can cook the gnocchi for 30 seconds and then put it straight into ice-cold water to stop the cooking process. Then place on a tray and freeze pieces individually. Once frozen you can pop it into a freezer bag. To cook the gnocchi from frozen just cook for an extra minute or so in boiling water.
An excellent way to sneak extra veggies into your kid's diet. Root vegetables work best in my opinion. Check out my beetroot gnocchi recipe as an example.
Gnocchi Wine Pairing
So you are about to make this delicious creamy gnocchi recipe and are wondering what the hell to drink with it later? Well, you have come to the right spot as I'm always keen on cracking a bottle of wine with dinner!
For my gnocchi recipe, I wanted a nice drop of white. I went with the Purple Hands range called Colours of the South and their Pinot Blanc. Pinot blanc works really well with salads, roast chickens and creamy based sauces. Being a fan of this often overshadowed grape I thought it'd be the perfect match. The wine itself is quite textural with a good amount of minerality. Notes of blossom, pear, apple and a little citrus make this the kinda wine that doesn't stay long in the glass 😉
Alternative Gnocchi Recipes
Feeling the gnocchi buzz and don't want to stop after this delicious creamy gnocchi recipe? Check out these other options on my site and from fellow foodies to get your inspirational juices flowing.
Gnocchi Carbonara by Yours Truly
Cheeseburger Gnocchi - ready in 30 minutes by Peter Koles of 'Peters Food Adventures'
Beetroot Gnocchi w/ Kale Pesto & Goat Cheese by Yours Truly
Pan-Fried Gnocchi w/ Tomato Corn & Zucchini by Phenie Ooi of 'The Devil Wears Salad'
Pesto Gnocchi by Marcella Cantatore of 'Marcellina in Cucina'
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
Gnocchi
- 600 g russet/brushed potatoes
- 1-1.5 cups flour
- 1 egg
- salt
The Rest
- 3 chicken thighs
- 2 corn
- 1 red onion
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp oil
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- measuring/weighing utensils
- gnocchi board or fork
- potato ricer
- microwave
- saucepan
- frying pan
Instructions
Gnocchi
- Wash the potatoes and prick multiple times with a fork
- Microwave until fork tender – approx. 10-20 minutes (size dependant)
- Peel the potatoes and mash using a potato ricer
- Add pinch of salt, egg & combine
- Add 1 cup of flour and combine. If dough is too wet add more flour gradually
- Once dough is ready then divide it into 4 pieces
- Take each piece and roll it out into a log about ½- ¾ “ thick.
- Cut the gnocchi into ¾ - 1“thick pieces
- Using gnocchi board roll the gnocchi pieces down to form the indentations. This helps coat the gnocchi in the sauce later
- Get a pot of salted boiling water ready for the gnocchi
The Rest
- Slice the chicken into thin strips
- Slice the red onion, remove corn from kernels & crush the garlic
- In a large non-stick frying pan add 2 tbsp oil
- Cook the chicken on high heat for 3 minutes, don’t stir the chicken until after 2 minutes so it gets a nice sear on it
- Add onion & garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes
- Add the corn and cook for 1 minute and put the gnocchi in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes
- Reduce the heat to medium on the frying pan and add the mustard & cream allowing to simmer for 2 minutes
- Once gnocchi is cooked add to the frying pan along with about 100ml of pasta water, cook for a further minute and serve
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- if you don’t have a gnocchi board you can use the back of a fork or just squeeze the sides gently to shape them
- alternatively, if time isn’t on your side then shop bough gnocchi works great too
- adding the starchy pasta water to the sauce allows the sauce to coat the gnocchi (or pasta) better
- bacon is another great addition to this dish if you are looking for some salty goodness 😉
- gnocchi should be used within a couple hours of making it as it doesn’t store well in the fridge.
Much thanks for giving me a smart blog.
What a fantastic recipe. Thanks for this.
Love home-made gnocchi! Thanks for the recipe!
I adore a hearty plate of gnocchi! This flavor combination is amazing!
Hi! Planning to make this. Questions:
1)Is there an alternative to microwaving the potatoes? Is boiling okay?
2) Is thoroughly mashing okay if I don’t have a potato ricer?
Thanks
Thanks for the Q’s
You can definitely boil them or even wrap in foil and roast in the oven. The goal in making gnocchi is to not have too much moisture in the potatoes and when boiling they tend to retain some of the liquid. Just make sure you let them steam dry prior to mashing then.
As long as the potatoes aren’t lumpy then you will be fine. Another tip when making gnocchi is not to overwork the potatoes as this releases starch which can make the gnocchi gummy.
I hope this helps and if you have any urgent Q’s you can message me here or direct on instagram @another_food_blogger
looks very hearty and warming.
It’s for couch, TV & wine written all over it 😉