Crispy Chicken, Bacon and Pesto Gnocchi Skillet + Small Batch Pesto Recipe

I’m about to blow your dang 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!

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. 5 ingredients, easy as that, and yes – just as good as it sounds!

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, slightly 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 agreed this dish was 5 stars all on its own. Serve with a side salad (or that egg!) and you’re set.

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Start by adding 4 slices bacon that have been chopped 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 2 chicken breasts that have been cut into hunks and seasoned with homemade seasoned salt and pepper then saute until cooked through. Scoop into another bowl then set aside.

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. 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 tender and golden brown all over, 2-3 more minutes. Use a fork to pierce a gnocchi to test for doneness. You’re going to be SHOCKED!

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

Last step is to add 1/4 cup prepared pesto, plus the cooked chicken and bacon, then stir until everything is heated through.

Note: I’m including a small batch basil pesto recipe in the recipe card below, which makes about 1/3 cup pesto (use the extra Tablespoon to stir into soups, salad dressings, etc) or you can use your favorite jarred pesto. I tested this recipe once using Classico pesto and much preferred homemade. Use what’s best and most convenient for you though.

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