Creamy Chicken & Broccoli Gnocchi Bake

Soft potato gnocchi baked in a creamy broccoli sauce with roasted chicken and pecorino. Comforting, rich and incredibly simple, this oven-baked dish turns a humble broccoli base into a hearty family meal.

This baked gnocchi is built around a simple broccoli sauce that I often make for pasta. The broccoli is cooked until very soft, then gently broken down with olive oil, garlic and chilli to create a rustic, deeply savoury base.

This baked gnocchi is built around a simple broccoli sauce that I often make for pasta. The broccoli is cooked until very soft, then gently broken down with olive oil, garlic and chilli to create a rustic, deeply savoury base.

For this dish, the same sauce becomes the foundation of a comforting oven bake. Fresh gnocchi and tender chicken are folded into the broccoli sauce with cream and pecorino, then baked until bubbling and golden.

I love using my Dry Brined Roast Chicken Breast here, which stays beautifully juicy and adds another layer of flavour to the dish. But if you’re looking to keep things quick and simple, a good store-bought rotisserie chicken works perfectly too.

It’s a wonderful way to transform a simple vegetable sauce into a hearty family meal.

(You can find the broccoli sauce in the Sicilian-Style Broccoli Angel Hair Pasta recipe.)

Prep: 10 min · Cook: 25 min · Serves: 4 · Cuisine: Italian · Category: Chicken

Ingredients

• 500 g fresh potato gnocchi
• 1 portion broccoli sauce (about 1 cup)
• ¾ cup cream
• 1½ cups roasted chicken breast, sliced or shredded
• ½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Optional Lemon zest for finishing

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. In a large bowl or pan combine: Broccoli sauce and cream. Stir until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy. Season with cracked black pepper.
3. Add the fresh gnocchi directly to the sauce along with the roasted chicken. Stir gently so everything is evenly coated. Because fresh gnocchi are already cooked, they will soften and absorb the sauce while baking.
4. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Top with the grated pecorino and drizzle lightly with olive oil.
5. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the top is lightly golden.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and optional lemon zest before serving.

Notes

Fresh gnocchi can be baked directly in sauce without boiling first.

The gnocchi absorb the creamy broccoli sauce as they bake, making the dish rich and comforting.

A little lemon zest at the end helps balance the richness of the cream and cheese.