Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Chicken and Gnocchi

North Americans are working longer hours than at any time since statistics have been kept. Thankfully, sheet pan recipes are a busy person’s best friend. This recipe for rosemary-garlic roasted chicken and gnocchi by recipe developer Ali Slagle, published in the New York Times, is elegant and easy to prepare using ingredients that are in your pantry. The classic combination of chicken, potatoes, rosemary, garlic and lemon never fails to satisfy. In this dish, shelf-stable potato gnocchi stand in for fresh potatoes, eliminating the time-consuming step of peeling and cutting up potatoes.

Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Chicken and Gnocchi

Gnocchi (pronounced NYOW-kee) are an Italian dumpling, the most common of which is classic potato gnocchi. Roasted in the oven, shelf-stable gnocchi, the kind you’ll find vacuum-sealed in the grocery aisle, become crispy on the outside and stay chewy and soft in the middle. The schmaltzy, garlicky, drippings of the roasted chicken glaze the golden-brown gnocchi and it’s hard not to eat them straight out of the pan. There’s a reason this recipe calls for two packages of gnocchi. Dazzle your family and friends with this sophisticated dinner that is ready to enjoy in just one hour.

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. The original recipe did not call for mushrooms but a quick glance in my vegetable drawer told me that it now or never for the mushrooms. I added them to the pan and they partnered very well with the chicken and gnocchi. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary. 

Pat the chicken dry and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the gnocchi to the pan. Add the mushrooms if using. Add the oil mixture to the pan, massaging the garlic and rosemary into the chicken and gnocchi. Arrange the gnocchi into an even layer and place the chicken skin-side-up on top of the gnocchi. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. (I use an instant read thermometer to determine when the chicken is done. It measures 165 F.)

Grate the zest of half a lemon over the chicken. Squeeze the juice of the lemon onto the gnocchi (about 1 1/2 tablespoons). Use a spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the sheet and and toss the gnocchi in the lemon juice and drippings. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Print Recipe

Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Chicken and Gnocchi

Meat, Chicken and Fish

By Ali Slagle, Rosemary-Garlic Roasted Chicken and Gnocchi – Serves: 4-6

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes – Total Time: 60-70 minutes

This classic combination of chicken, potatoes, rosemary, garlic and lemon never fails to satisfy

Ingredients

• 2½ to 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (6 to 8 pieces)
• Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
• Black pepper
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary (from 2 sprigs), or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 (12- to 18-ounce) packages shelf-stable potato gnocchi
• 2 cups mushrooms, white or cremini, halved (optional)
• 1/2 lemon, grate the zest first, then squeeze the juice

Instructions

1

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, and rosemary.

2

Pat the chicken dry and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the gnocchi to the pan. Add the mushrooms if using. Add the oil mixture to the pan, massaging the garlic and rosemary into the chicken and gnocchi.

3

Arrange the gnocchi into an even layer and place the chicken skin side up on top of the gnocchi. Roast until the chicken is cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. (I use an instant read thermometer to determine when the chicken is done. It measures 165 F.)

4

Grate the zest of half a lemon over the chicken. Squeeze the juice of the lemon onto the gnocchi (about 1 1/2 tablespoons). Use a spoon to scrape up the browned bits on the sheet and and toss the gnocchi in the lemon juice and drippings. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

You can prepare the chicken and gnocchi in the morning and refrigerate the sheet pan with the raw chicken on it. Pop it into the oven before dinner and bake it. It works beautifully.