If you're looking for a low effort meal that's packed with flavor, this Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken Gnocchi Bake will be your new, go to dinner recipe. Chicken breast is marinated in lemon and Italian spices, then tossed with gnocchi and broccolini and oven baked on a cookie sheet. Best thing.. it's ready to eat in under 45 minutes!
When my week is crazy, I love a good sheet pan meal! They're easy to throw together with minimal prep and the flavor builds in the oven with low effort on my end.
The gnocchi, chicken and broccolini roast to perfection on the sheet pan, then they're finished off with garlic butter and parmesan cheese. A must try recipe!
For more sheet pan meals, try these Sheet Pan Pancakes from Mix, Crispy Beef Tacos, and Sheet Pan Italian Sausage.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- A Lightened Up Italian Favorite. All the Italian flavors you love, but without any heavy sauces.
- Easy to Make. No difficult techniques used in this recipe. Great for beginner cooks or just busy families who don't have a lot of extra time on weeknights.
- Quick. Ready to eat in 40 minutes.
- A Full Meal. No need for side dishes..we've got everything (meat, veggies, & carbs) on one sheet pan!
For more easy weeknight Italian dinners, try this Rigatoni Sausage Bake, Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, and Pepperoni Pizza Subs.
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast: High in protein and marinates quickly when cut up into small pieces. I love Smart Chicken because it's super clean right out of the package and requires minimal trimming.
Gnocchi: A potato dumpling that you can find in the pasta isle. This De Cecco brand is really yummy and I also like the Gia Russa brand. I recommend buying the shelf stable packaged gnocchi versus frozen for this recipe. The frozen version may get soggy in the oven.
Parmesan: I like using a high quality parmesan cheese, like Parmigiano Reggiano for this recipe because it's really nutty. Shred it yourself from the block for the best results.
*Visit the recipe card below for the full recipe ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Chicken Tenderloins can be used instead of Chicken breast. Boneless skinless chicken thighs are also an option, but may take a bit longer to cook.
- Sometimes broccolini can be difficult to find. Broccoli will work just as well.
Love Gnocchi recipes? Try this Browned Butter Gnocchi, Air Fryer Gnocchi, One Pot Ground Beef Gnocchi, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, and Gnocchi Bolognese.
How to Make Lemon Chicken Gnocchi:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the spice blend of salt, pepper, oregano, basil and garlic butter. Into a large bowl, toss in the chopped broccolini, gnocchi, half of the spices and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss together to coat everything in oil and spices. Transfer the mixture to a cookie sheet and spread out over ⅔ of the sheet pan.
Step 2: Add the chicken pieces into the empty bowl (same one the broccolini and gnocchi were in) and sprinkle in remaining spices, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the juice from 1 lemon. Toss to combine and allow to sit and marinate for 10 minutes.
Step 3: Transfer the chicken breast to the other ⅓ portion of the cook sheet and spread the chicken pieces out. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes.
Step 4: While the chicken and gnocchi are cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds until fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 5: Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Pour over garlic butter, and juice from ½ a lemon. Toss to combine. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top, and place a few slices of lemon on the cookie sheet if desired. Return the sheet pan to the oven for 8-12 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Step 6: Serve immediately and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Try to cut the chicken into similar sized pieces for even cooking.
- Use an internal thermometer to check that the chicken is fully cooked by inserting the thermometer into the center of the biggest chicken pieces on the tray. Look for an internal reading of 165 degrees or higher before removing from the oven.
For more Chicken breast dinners, try this Baked Panko Chicken Breast, Crispy Orange Marmalade Chicken, Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad, and Chicken Crunch Wraps.
More Family Weeknight Dinner Ideas:
If you tried this Sheet Pan Chicken Gnocchi Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken Gnocchi Bake
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
If you're looking for a low effort meal that's packed with flavor, this Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken Gnocchi Bake will be your new go to dinner recipe. Best thing.. it's ready to eat in under 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 bundle broccolini, rinsed & dried, then chopped into large chunks *use the stems too*
- 17 ounce package dried potato gnocchi *usually found in the pasta isle*
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast (2 large chicken breasts) cut into 1-1.5 inch pieces
- 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded from the block
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the spice blend of salt, pepper, oregano, basil and garlic butter. Into a large bowl, toss in the chopped broccolini, gnocchi, half of the spices and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss together to coat everything in oil and spices. Transfer the mixture to a cookie sheet and spread out over ⅔ of the sheet pan.
- Add the chicken pieces into the empty bowl and sprinkle in remaining spices, 1 tablespoon olive oil and the juice from 1 lemon. Toss to combine and allow to sit and marinate for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken breast to the other ⅓ portion of the cook sheet and spread the chicken pieces out. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes.
- While the chicken and gnocchi are cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet on the stovetop over medium low heat. Add in the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds or until fragrant. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Pour over garlic butter, and juice from ½ a lemon. Toss to combine. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top, and place a few slices of lemon on the cookie sheet if desired. Return the sheet pan to the oven for 8-12 minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- Try to cut the chicken into similar sized pieces for even cooking.
- Use an internal thermometer to check that the chicken is fully cooked by inserting the thermometer into the center of the biggest chicken pieces on the tray. Look for an internal reading of 165 degrees or higher before removing from the oven.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinating Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
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