Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet

Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet is a simple and satisfying gluten free dinner recipe. All you need is 5 ingredients, 20 minutes, and 1 skillet!

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I’m about to blow your easy-dinner-loving mind with the recipe for Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet.

We’re talking 20 minutes, 1 skillet, and 5 ingredients. You are going to INHALE this delicious recipe!

Watch How to Make It!

What’s Inside

Packaged gnocchi is sizzled in a mixture of olive oil and bacon drippings until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside, then tossed with fresh pesto, cooked bacon, and chicken. Easy as that, and yes – just as good as it sounds!

Crispy Gnocchi vs Boiled Gnocchi

You may have seen crispy gnocchi recipes that require you to boil gnocchi before pan-frying, but it’s completely unnecessary. True, it will feel all kinds of wrong pouring dry, hard gnocchi into a skillet, but I promise that in 5-6 minutes the gnocchi will totally transform. Honestly I could forgo the bacon, chicken, and pesto portion of this recipe and eat an entire pan of crispy gnocchi with a little salt all on its own. Maybe a fried egg on top? HOLD ME. That is to say, once you try pan-fried crispy gnocchi, you will never go back.

Feel free to add vegetables to this skillet dinner if you please – halved cherry tomatoes added at the end to warm through would be tasty, while Ben thought chopped, blanched asparagus would be nice too – though we both agree this dish is 5 stars all on its own.

Serve with a side salad (or that egg!) and you’re set.

How to Make This Recipe

Start by adding choppedbacon to a cold, 12″ nonstick skillet then place the skillet over medium heat and cook until browned. Scoop the bacon into a bowl, reserving the fat in the skillet.

Turn the heat up slightly then add chopped chicken breasts and season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper. Saute until cooked through then scoop into another bowl and set aside.

Add enoughextra virgin olive oil into the skillet to equal 2 Tablespoons fat total, then add a 12oz packagegluten-free gnocchi and arrange into an even layer in the bottom.At this point you will be CERTAIN that I am nuts and there’s no way these dry, hard gnocchi will morph into yummy, crispy, perfectly cooked gnocchi – but just you wait!

Let the gnocchi sizzle until the bottoms are golden brown, 2-3 minutes, then stir and continue to saute until the gnocchi are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, 2-3 more minutes. Use a fork to pierce a gnocchi to test for doneness.

Just a note, I have only tested this recipe usingDelalloGluten-Free Gnocchi(found in HyVee’s Health Market.) That said, I’ve made crispy gnocchi skillets in the past before goinggluten-free with several different brands that all work fine.

Last step is to add prepared pesto, plus the cooked chicken and bacon, then stir until everything is heated through.

I’m including a small batch basil pesto recipe in the recipe card below, or use my my simple vegan pesto if you need to ditch the dairy!

Scoop the Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet into bowls then dig in. Like I said, you could add any kind of sauted or roasted vegetable into the mix, but this dish is 100% devourable all on its own. Enjoy, enjoy!

More Gnocchi Dishes to Devour

One Pot Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
Cheesy Gnocchi Florentine
Gnocchi and Chicken Sausage Vegetable Skillet
Cheesy Bacon Butternut Squash Gnocchi Skillet
Gnocchi with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Crispy Prosciutto

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