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Yummiest Sheet Pan Pesto Chicken and Gnocchi Dinner!
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Yummiest Pesto Chicken & Gnocchi Sheet Pan Dinner

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dairy free dinner ideas, easy chicken recipes, easy dinner ideas, easy gnocchi recipes, gluten free dinner ideas, gnocchi recipes, healthy dinner ideas, healthy sheet pan dinner ideas, honey mustard chicken recipes, kid friendly dinner ideas, one pot dinners, pesto chicken recipe, pesto gnocchi recipe, pesto recipes, sheet pan chicken recipes, sheet pan gnocchi recipes
Servings: 5
Author: Renee Kohley - Raising Generation Nourished

Ingredients

For The Pesto:

  • 2 packed cups of basil leaves
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheese of choice I use sheep's milk cheese (See notes for dairy free option)
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • Heaping 1/3 cup nuts or seeds of choice I like using macadamia nuts or walnuts
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 - 3/4 cup olive oil

For the Sheet Pan Dinner:

  • 4 chicken breasts pat dry and 1-2 inch cube
  • 1/2 large red onion halved and sliced into thin strips
  • 1 bunch of asparagus woody ends discarded and sliced on the bias into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and cut on the bias into 1/2 inch coins
  • 10 large radishes ends discarded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium yellow squash ends discarded, halved, and cut on the bias into 1/2 inch half moons
  • 2 12-oz bags frozen gnocchi of choice I use the Trader Joe's GF Cauliflower Gnocchi

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees. (See Notes below if you want to use the Air Fry setting on your oven!)

Make the pesto:

  • Put the basil, cheese, garlic, nuts, sea salt, and pepper into a food processor and pulse to combine into small bits.
  • Use the drip cup at the top of the food processor to drizzle the olive oil into the food processor while it is blending continuously. Alternatively, you can add drizzles of olive oil into a blender to combine the pesto if you do not have a food processor. Set the pesto aside.

Prepare the sheet pans & bake:

  • Divide the cubed chicken, chopped veggies, and frozen gnocchi between the 2 sheet pans.
  • Divide the pesto between the 2 sheet pans. Toss the everything to coat in the pesto
  • Roast at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes, rotating the sheet pans half way through. You can put the sheet pans under the broiler for about 5 minutes for a crispy, golden brown exterior if you wish as well!

Notes

  • If you're dairy free, you can swap the cheese in the pesto for a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast for cheesy flavor, or just leave it out. If you have access to a coconut oil based dairy free cheese like the Viola Life brand, that does work too.
  • Swap the veggies for what is in season. As written, this recipe is very spring and summer produce focused, but broccoli, peppers, squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, white potato, brussels sprouts, etc all work great too. 
  • Radishes do loose their peppery bite when roasted, FYI! They get soft and sweeten, and almost have the taste and texture of a white potato when roasted like this! So go ahead and try it with the kids! Smaller pieces will get softer and sweeter with roasting, so try keeping the pieces small to start.
  • If you don't have gnocchi on hand, or want to switch things up, change out the gnocchi for cubed potatoes, squash, or sweet potatoes. Or you can serve this dinner over cooked pasta or rice of choice to add needed carbohydrates. 
  • If you have an air fry setting on your oven, like I do, you can cook this in about 15-20 minutes and get that crispier, golden brown, caramelized outside. Use the 400-425 degree setting and watch for done-ness, as all air friers and air fry settings on ovens can run differently.