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!
“Oh mercy, this was good. I am allergic to nuts, so I ate some without the pesto. The rest of the family devoured theirs.”
I often joke that Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet is my hyperfixation meal, except it’s not a joke and I really do think about this super satisfying dinner that take just 20 minutes, 1 skillet, and 5 ingredients to make ALL the time.
Make it once and you’ll know exactly how I feel!
Watch How to Make It
What’s Inside
Packaged gnocchi is sauteed 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 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 strange pouring dry, hard gnocchi into a skillet, but I promise that in 5-6 minutes the gnocchi will totally transform.
Once you try pan-fried crispy gnocchi, the second half of your life begins!
Feel free to add vegetables to this skillet dinner if you please. Halved cherry tomatoes warmed in the pan at the end is tasty, and a big handful of chopped baby spinach wilted in at the end is delicious too. As written though, this is an absolute home run, 5 star dish.
Serve with a side salad or Air Fryer Green Beans, and you’re set!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Brown the bacon.
Start by adding chopped bacon 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.
Step 2: Cook the chicken.
Turn the heat up slightly then add chopped chicken breasts and season with homemade seasoned salt and pepper. Saute until cooked through then scoop the chicken into another bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Cook the gnocchi.
Add enough extra virgin olive oil into the skillet to equal 2 Tablespoons fat total, then add a 12oz package gluten-free gnocchi and arrange into an even layer in the bottom.
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.
I use Delallo Gluten Free Gnocchi for all my gnocchi dishes — love the quality, texture, and flavor.
Step 4: Stir in prepared pesto.
Add prepared pesto to the skillet, plus the cooked chicken and bacon, then stir until everything is heated through.
I’ve included a small-batch pesto recipe in the recipe card below, or you can use my simple vegan pesto if you need a dairy-free pesto recipe. When it comes to store bought pesto, you can’t beat Gotham Green’s pesto. I actually prefer the flavor of their vegan pesto to their classic pesto, just a heads up!
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. I hope you love it as much as my family does – enjoy!
More Gnocchi Dishes You’ll Love
- Creamy Summer Veggie Gnocchi Skillet
- 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
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon, chopped
- 2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- homemade seasoned salt and pepper
- 1 — 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 oz package shelf-stable gluten free gnocchi, I like Delallo
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto, store-bought or homemade recipe below
For the Homemade Pesto (makes 1/3 cup):
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1 Tablespoon walnuts
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- big pinch salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- squeeze fresh lemon juice
Directions
For the Homemade Pesto:
- Add basil, walnuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, and salt to a food processor then pulse until the ingredients are roughly chopped. Very slowly stream in extra virgin olive oil while the food processor is running until pesto is smooth – don't over process or the pesto can taste bitter. Stir in a little bit of lemon juice at a time until desired taste is reached – the pesto shouldn't taste lemony, just fresh. Set aside. Can be made several days ahead of time.
For the Skillet:
- Add bacon to a cold, 12" nonstick skillet then place over medium heat. Cook until browned then scoop into a bowl and set aside, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Turn heat up to medium high.
- Season chicken with seasoned salt and pepper then add to the skillet and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center. Scoop into a bowl then set aside.
- Add enough extra virgin olive oil to the skillet to equal 2 Tablespoons fat total then add gnocchi and arrange into a single layer. Saute until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 2-3 minutes, then stir and continue to saute until the gnocchi are tender and golden brown all over, 2-3 additional minutes.
- Turn heat down to medium-low then add pesto, chicken, and bacon into the skillet. Stir to combine and heat ingredients through then scoop into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Need a cheese-less pesto recipe? Try my Simple Vegan Pesto.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
This came out really greasy (the recipe?) and a touch too salty (my fault obviously). The gnocchi stuck to the pan and soaked up all the bacon grease and oil.
Hey Justice! I haven’t received this feedback before – I’m sorry to hear it! Was there more than 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease left in the skillet? What type and quantity of gnocchi did you use, and what kind of pan?
I tried the Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet recipe yesterday and it was soooo good. It truly was simple to prepare and was delicious. I didn’t even know I liked pesto. For some reason, green sauce didn’t sound good to me…..golly, I was wrong! Thank you for another winner!!
Oh I’m so, so happy to hear this, Elizabeth – thrilled you gave it a go!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Kristin,
we’ve loved this recipe for years, but I don’t love the leftovers as much. do you have any tips for reheating it?
Hey Dan! So glad it’s a long time favorite of yours! Unfortunately the leftovers will not crisp up like fresh. I reheat with a splash of chicken broth and a little dollop of pesto.
quick,easy and delicious. my daughters love it!
Wohoo! Thrilled to hear it, Jon! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Oh mercy, this was good. I am allergic to nuts, so I ate some without the pesto. The rest of the family devoured theirs.
I’m so happy to hear this, Sarah!! Have you seen my dairy and nut-free pesto recipe? https://iowagirleats.com/simple-vegan-pesto/
Just bought Delallo Gnocchi and will be making this one night this week for dinner … I’ll replace the bacon with thinly sliced/quartered turkey kielbasa as I have a sensitivity to all pork products…
Thank you for all these great recipies.
That sounds delicious, Ilene! I hope it’s a hit!
This was a hit! My husband asked me to make it again tomorrow. Lol.
Ha! I can relate – this is a hyper fixation meal of my family’s, lol. Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
I just wanted to tell you that I made the Crispy Gnocchi and I loved it. I made my own pesto and I am still enjoying it. thanks for a great recipe.
I’m SO glad you loved this dish, Janice! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Always looking for ways to use gnocchi and Kristin helps me with this with great recipes incorporating it. I grow my own lemon basil in an aerogarden and make IGE small batch pesto and freeze it in small containers so whenever I need pesto, I just grab a container of it from the freezer and am good to go. Tried this recipe last night and it was a big hit!
I love hearing this, Kathy!! Thank you so much for your feedback!
This was AMAZING. Seriously, you may have heard my happy eating noises all the way in Iowa. Your Ben is right, asparagus is delicious in this. I also tossed in some mushrooms along with the tomatoes. Wow. Even with turkey bacon, it was delicious. I think if I had used real bacon, I wouldn’t have shared any! Thank you for another delicious GF one pan wonder!
HAHA! Thank you SO MUCH for this glowing review, Laura!! We love this dish just as much – in fact, I’m making it for dinner tonight. Thank you so much for your review – I appreciate it so very much!
Used frozen gnocchi with cauliflower Alfredo, chicken and broccoli. It was an amazing textural experience! Thanks so much!
That sounds AMAZING, Sharon! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!