Martha Stewart Chicken And Gnocchi Bake Broccolini Recipe

I have never met a person who looked at a personal baking dish of cheesy gnocchi with broccolini and said no to it. Martha Stewart’s Chicken and Gnocchi Bake with Broccolini is made with store-bought gnocchi, torn dark-meat chicken, broccolini, and a buttery roux sauce loaded with Gruyere and Parmigiano-Reggiano, baked at 450 degrees until the top is golden and the centre is bubbling.

This baked chicken dinner recipe sits somewhere between a casserole and a gratin and I am here for all of it. Everything cooks on the stove first, goes into the dish, and bakes for 15 minutes. I started making this every fall when I wanted comfort food that did not take three hours.

Try More Dinner Recipes:

• Chicken Parmesan
• Baked Chicken Thighs
• Chicken Pot Pie With Puff Pastry

Why You Will Love This Gnocchi Bake:

• Two cheeses doing two things: Gruyere melts into the sauce and makes it creamy and nutty. Parmigiano goes on top and gets crispy under the heat. I tried making this with just one cheese once and the flavour was half as interesting.
• Gnocchi is the shortcut that works: Store-bought gnocchi cooks in 2 minutes in the sauce. No boiling pasta separately, no draining. It absorbs the broth and puffs up soft inside while the edges brown in the oven. I keep bags in my freezer for this recipe specifically.
• Individual dishes make it feel special: Martha gives you the option of four small baking dishes or one big one. I do the individual dishes because everyone gets their own golden, bubbly serving and it looks like a restaurant plate with zero extra effort.

Chicken And Gnocchi Bake Broccolini Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (from 3 cloves)
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 heads Broccolini (about 9 ounces total), cut into 2-inch pieces (4 cups)
• 14 ounces fresh or frozen gnocchi
• 1 1/2 cups torn cooked chicken (preferably dark meat)
• 3 ounces Gruyere, grated (1 cup)
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (1/2 cup)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

How To Make Martha Stewart Chicken And Gnocchi Bake Broccolini

1. Preheat the oven: Set it to 450 degrees.
2. Make the roux: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and cook for another 30 seconds, then whisk in the chicken broth. Bring it to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
3. Cook the broccolini and gnocchi: Add the broccolini, cover the pot, and cook for 2 minutes. Take the lid off, add the gnocchi, and cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Stir in the filling: Take the pot off the heat. Stir in the torn chicken, all the Gruyere, and 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bake: Divide the mixture among four 12-ounce baking dishes or put it all in one large baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Parmigiano over the top. Bake until the centre is bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 15 minutes for individual dishes or 20 minutes for one large dish. Let it stand for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Let it rest before serving: Martha says 15 minutes and she is not joking. If you serve it straight from the oven the sauce is liquid and runs everywhere. After 15 minutes it thickens and holds together when you scoop it. I learned this the impatient way.
• Use dark meat if you can: Martha says preferably dark meat and I agree. The torn pieces stay moist in the hot sauce. White meat dries out and gets stringy in a bake like this. Leftover rotisserie thigh meat is perfect.
• Do not overcook the broccolini: It gets 2 minutes covered plus the bake time. If you cook it longer on the stove it will turn to mush by the time the dish comes out of the oven. It should still have a little bite when you stir it in.

Individual Dishes Or One Big Pan

I always go with the four individual dishes. They bake faster, the Parmigiano on top gets crispier because there is more surface area, and putting a personal baking dish in front of someone feels like a gift.

If I only have one large dish, I add 5 extra minutes to the bake time and make sure to let it rest the full 15 minutes. The centre takes longer to set in a bigger pan.

What Goes Well With This Gnocchi Bake

A Greek salad with something sharp and crunchy is the best pairing here. The bake is rich and cheesy and you need acid on the side to cut through it.

A piece of sourdough bread for the last bits of sauce at the bottom of the dish. That is all you need.

How To Store Leftovers

The gnocchi firms up in the fridge but the sauce keeps it from drying out completely. Sealed container, 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 for 10 minutes to get the top crispy again.

I have eaten this cold the next morning and it tastes like a thick, cheesy dumpling cake. Not for everyone but I liked it more than I expected.

FAQs

• Can I use regular broccoli instead of broccolini? Yes but cut it into small florets. Broccolini is thinner and more tender so it cooks faster. Regular broccoli might need an extra minute or two covered on the stove before you add the gnocchi.
• Can I use chicken breast instead of dark meat? You can but it will be drier. Martha says dark meat is preferred because the fat keeps it moist in the bake. If you use breast, shred it finely so it blends into the sauce better.
• Do I have to use Gruyere? Gruyere melts smoothly and has a nutty flavour that works with the broth sauce. If you cannot find it, fontina or Swiss are close substitutes. I would not use cheddar because it changes the whole flavour profile.
• Can I make this ahead? You can assemble it in the baking dishes, cover, and refrigerate for up to a day. Add a few extra minutes to the bake time since it will be cold going in. The sauce might thicken in the fridge so stir in a splash of broth before baking if it looks too thick.

More Dinner Recipes:

• Mushroom Risotto
• One Pot Pasta
• Cream Of Broccoli Soup

Nutrition Facts

(1 serving, serves 4)

• Calories: 520
• Total Fat: 26g
• Saturated Fat: 15g
• Cholesterol: 105mg
• Sodium: 720mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 38g
• Protein: 34g