Chicken with Vodka Sauce Gnocchi or Gnocchi à la vodka with crispy pan fried chicken cutlets is just as decadent as it sounds. This comfort dish is perfect for a cozy dinner at home.
This dish combines so many of our family’s favorites in one. Crispy pan fried chicken cutlets, vodka sauce, and gnocchi. Combing these ingredients to create this gnocchi with vodka sauce and chicken dish was already sure to be a slam dunk in our household, and boy was it!
This dish does take a few extra pots and pans and a little bit extra work than some of my more simple recipes. However, everything comes together very quickly and that’s part of the beauty of this dish. Gnocchi only take one or two minutes, the sauce takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish, even the chicken cutlets cook up quickly. So don’t be intimidated by this dish, it’s really quite simple.
For more gnocchi recipes, check out One Pan Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi, Olive Garden Chicken Veronese and Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I used thin cut chicken breast, but you can buy regular and fillet them yourself if you prefer.
- Breading Ingredients: A standard breading of flour, egg wash, and seasoned breadcrumbs is used to create a crispy crust on the chicken.
- Oil: A high heat oil like avocado oil works great here. I use a little more oil than one might think to when pan frying chicken because it really helps give that nice rich brown crust.
- Potato Gnocchi: In this recipe, I suggest potato gnocchi rather than ricotta gnocchi. They are firmer and will hold up better in the sauce.
- Aromatics: A blend of shallots and garlic, to work as the first layer of flavor in the vodka sauce.
- Tomato Paste: This gives the sauce it’s deep orange color, and rich tomatoey flavor.
- Vodka: This ingredient is a "can’t skip" in vodka sauce. It may seem unnecessary, but it truly alters the flavor of the rest of the sauce and the majority of the alcohol does cook out. You can skip it, but the overall sauce will not taste the same.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream makes for such a decadent final product, it's silky smooth and very rich.
- Butter: A couple of pats of butter are added at the end to give extra richness and silkiness to the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese: Fresh parmesan for use in the sauce and as a garnish on top.
How to prepare the crispy chicken cutlets
You’re going to prepare a simple dredging station so you can work in stages to coat the chicken. You will need three bowls. To the first bowl, add flour, salt, and pepper. To the second bowl, crack in one egg and 1 tablespoon of water and whisk together with a fork. To the third bowl, add breadcrumbs.
Coat each chicken breast, starting with the seasoned flour, then the egg wash, then the breadcrumbs and set coated chicken pieces on a plate to the side.
Heat ¼ cup of oil over medium high heat in a cast-iron or stainless steel skillet.
Add chicken and cook until the first side is golden brown and crispy. Flip and finish cooking on the other side until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. overall, it took about 10 minutes total for the chicken to fully cook.
How to make vodka sauce gnocchi
Step 1. While you are preparing the sauce, prepare the gnocchi according to the packaging instructions. Be sure to reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining the cooked gnocchi.
In a clean pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and red pepper and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
Step 2. Stir in tomato paste and allow a caramelize for 2-3 minutes to bring out the flavor.
Step 3. Pour in vodka, allowing to cook off for a few minutes, stirring every so often.
Step 4. Reduce heat to medium and add ½ cup of reserved pasta water from cooking the gnocchi.
Step 5. Go in with the heavy cream. Stir to combine into a creamy sauce.
Step 6. Finally, add shredded parmesan and pats of butter and stir to combine.
Step 7. Stir in cooked gnocchi.
Step 8. Top each portion of creamy vodka sauce gnocchi with a crispy chicken breast and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Be sure to reserve some extra pasta water when making the dish for use in the sauce later on. This helps everything come together into a smooth sauce.
- The vodka may seem frivolous, but it is truly necessary for the overall taste of the dish. It’s changes the sauce for the better in a nuanced but distinct way, and I highly recommend you don’t skip it.
More chicken breast recipes
- Marry Me Chicken Orzo
- Crispy Jalapeno Popper Chicken Breasts
- Creamy Boursin Chicken
- Creamy Spinach Artichoke Chicken
If you try this Crispy Chicken with Vodka Sauce Gnocchi please leave a star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love to hear from you.
Crispy Chicken with Vodka Sauce Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts thin sliced
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp. water
- ¾ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
- 5 tbsp. avocado oil divided
- 1 lb. potato gnocchi
- 1 shallot minced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 4 oz. vodka
- ½ cup pasta water
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 3 tbsp. butter
Instructions
Crispy Chicken Cutlets
- You’re going to prepare a simple dredging station so you can work in stages to coat the chicken. You will need three bowls. To the first bowl, add flour, salt, and pepper. To the second bowl, crack in one egg and 1 tablespoon of water and whisk together with a fork. To the third bowl, add breadcrumbs.
- Coat each chicken breast, starting with the seasoned flour, then the egg wash, then the breadcrumbs and set coated chicken pieces on a plate to the side.
- Heat ¼ cup of oil over medium high heat in a cast-iron or stainless steel skillet.
- Add chicken and cook until the first side is golden brown and crispy. Flip and finish cooking on the other side until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F. overall, it took about 10 minutes total for the chicken to fully cook.
Creamy Vodka Sauce Gnocchi
- While you are preparing the sauce, prepare the gnocchi according to the packaging instructions. Be sure to reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining the cooked gnocchi.
- In a clean pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Add shallots, garlic, and red pepper and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste and allow a caramelize for 2-3 minutes to bring out the flavor.
- Pour in vodka, allowing to cook off for a few minutes, stirring every so often.
- Reduce heat to medium and add ½ cup of reserved pasta water from cooking the gnocchi, along with the heavy cream. Stir to combine into a creamy sauce.
- Finally, add shredded parmesan and pats of butter and stir to combine.
- Stir in cooked gnocchi.
- Top each portion of creamy vodka sauce gnocchi with a crispy chicken breast and serve.
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